Danilo Trozzi, chef, on making perfect pancakes

To make sure that your pancakes flip up on the right side of the pan and don't end up on the ceiling, Danilo Trozzi, resident chef at olive oil specialists Filippo Berio, has put together some top tips for how to 'turn out' the perfect pancake

The mixture: Stir the batter with a whisk or fork, just until all the dry ingredients are blended into the mixture. Don't worry if there are small lumps in the batter, they will disappear during cooking. Let the batter sit for a couple of hours before drizzling onto the griddle or in the frying pan.

Measure ingredients carefully: Batter that is too thin will spread unevenly and results in flat pancakes. Batter that is too thick won't spread much at all. If you like your pancakes on the thinner side, add a little milk to the batter.

Heating it up: Heat the griddle or frying pan on medium high for 2-3 minutes. Make sure you do this BEFORE adding the oil. This will keep the delicate flavour of your pancakes by not burning the oil.

Grease is the word: For best results, select oil that has a high burning point. For pancake adventurers, try using a mild olive oil spray, which contains all the health benefits of olive oil but with a lighter taste.

The test: Put a few drops of water on the frying pan, if it bounces or steams, it's hot enough. Turn the heat down just a little, to medium or medium-low, so you don't burn the grease.

The method: Add one ladle of batter to the centre of the pan. Quickly move this around to the edges without touching. After 20 seconds check the edges with a spatula. When they're brown and the pancake doesn't stick, it's time to toss!

I shall say this only once: Flip pancakes only once! Repeated flipping will toughen the pancakes. Pancakes are ready to flip when they're puffed, covered with bubbles and slightly dry around the edges.

Danilo Trozzi, head chef at Filippo Berio

Time to begin: Step one - the batter