Step 1

Place the flour, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir to combine them all together.

Step 2

Place the sugar, eggs, oil or melted butter, vanilla extract and buttermilk in a medium bowl or large measuring jug. Whisk well until everything is very well combined.

Step 3

Make a well in the middle of the flour mixture and pour in the wet ingredients. Whisk until you have a thick batter - don’t overwhisk or attempt to beat lumps out or the pancakes might turn out tough.

Step 4

Heat a frying pan over a medium heat and grease with a small amount of butter or oil. You need the pan nice and hot but not smoking or the pancakes will burn too quickly. Pour a small amount of the batter into the pan (I always pour the batter into a jug for easy pouring, but you could also use a ladle).

Step 5

Sprinkle with a few blueberries, then cook until bubbles form on the surface. Cooking time depends on your pan and heat, usually a minute or two.  Flip the pancake over and continue to cook for a further 2-3 minutes or until golden brown.

Step 6

Serve the pancakes hot and fresh with lots of maple syrup, butter and fresh blueberries - or fry off some streaky bacon and serve alongside the pancakes.