Shrove Tuesday? Must be the Great Spitalfields pancake race

It took huffs and puffs—but most competitors completed today’s Great Spitalfields Pancake Race in London’s East End without embarrassing slip-ups.

Rival teams and solos had to flip their pancakes in their frying pans as they hurtled along Dray Walk at Brick Lane’s Old Truman’s Brewery.

Some volunteers did the run in fancy dress, some took it deadly seriously... but all in good humour to raise cash for the London Air Ambulance charity based at the Royal London in Whitechapel, to keep the emergency helicopters ‘flying not frying’.

Each winner of the fun runs got an engraved frying pan when they crossed the line—not having dropped a clanger.

Prizes also included champagne, vouchers for games and booze at the nearby Junkyard golf club, CDs from Rough Trade, coffee and cakes at Cafi 1001, boxes of sweets and friendly hugs.

The Lost Marbles string band and E-Team clowns sorted the street entertainment for the annual Shrove Tuesday event, organised by the East End’s Alternative Arts collective.