| Where: | London at Guildhall Yard |
| When: | Shrove Tuesday |
| Time: | 11.30 for 12 noon |
While there are numerous pancake races held the length and breadth of the country, the Inter Livery Pancake Race hosted by the Worshipful Company of Poulters is one of the most visually spectacular of them all, so it gets its own listing here on the website. Teams, each of four competitors and wearing either fancy dress or full regalia or perhaps a combination thereof, race around the Guildhall Yard tossing their pancakes and the victors receive, fittingly, frying pans as well as a trophy. Each of the participating trades have their own appropriate role in the proceedings, for example the Gunmakers start each race literally with a bang, Clockmakers time the heats and Fruiterers provide lemons to accompany the pancakes. The competition has been running annually for over 15 years and proceeds go to charitable causes.
Helpful Hints
In 2025 Shrove Tuesday is on 4th March.
Pancakes are available on sale at the event (mixed, I was assured, to a different recipe from the more robust racing pancakes). There are several heats so if you don’t get a decent view at first, wait for the crowd to thin. In 2019 the races lasted until around 1.30.
Click here for the Poulters’ website : http://www.poulters.org.uk
and Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/2427668825/
Click here for more : http://www.liverycompanies.info/diary.html
Thank you for the great coverage of this event. It is a great spectacle and one worth visiting.
Thanks for taking the trouble to get in touch – I thoroughly enjoyed my visit and can honestly say that it’s the best dressed pancake racing I’ve ever seen!