Make pancakes with plain wholemeal flour when a clearly wholemeal base matters most: the Tesco and M&S recipes both specify it. A ready-made pack saves preparation, but check its ingredients rather than assuming fruit-flavoured pancakes are wholemeal; Tesco Banana Pancakes contain both white and wholemeal wheat flour.
If pancakes are the main dish, toppings and sides can bring other foods into the meal. The NHS Eatwell Guide describes wholegrain starchy foods, fruit and vegetables, protein foods, and dairy or alternatives as parts of an overall eating pattern.
Compare the flour in the ingredients list, not just the front of the pack. Asda lists Allinson Plain Wholemeal Baking Flour as wholemeal wheat flour; Tesco Banana Pancakes contain both white and wholemeal wheat flour.
A ready-made pancake may be easier to serve quickly. Tesco gives toaster instructions for its Banana Pancakes, but advises shoppers to check the current pack because ingredients and allergen information can change.
Decide whether the flour type or preparation time matters more for this lunch, then check the rest of the meal and every ingredient the child will eat.
| Priority | What to check | Your needs |
|---|---|---|
| Flour type | Read the full flour description and ingredient order. Tesco Banana Pancakes list white wheat flour before wholemeal wheat flour; a recipe specifying wholemeal flour gives you control over the flour used. | I want to know whether the pancake base is made with wholemeal flour, rather than merely containing some. |
| The whole lunch | Consider fruit or vegetables and a suitable protein-containing topping or side. The NHS Eatwell Guide advises choosing higher-fibre or wholegrain starchy foods and describes balance across the day or week. | Pancakes are the starchy part of our lunch, so I want to plan what goes alongside them instead of relying on sweet toppings alone. |
| Time and storage | Compare the stated recipe time with pack cooking instructions. M&S states 15 minutes for its banana-and-blueberry wholemeal recipe; Tesco says its cooked wholemeal recipe pancakes can be frozen and reheated in a toaster. | Some days I can cook from scratch; on others, preparing a batch ahead or using a ready-made pack matters more. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Check the current pack or recipe ingredients, then check toppings separately. Tesco Banana Pancakes list wheat, egg and milk ingredients; recipes may use them too. | If a child must avoid an ingredient, I need to check the exact pancakes and everything served with them. |
Tesco Banana Pancakes are a mixed-flour product: their ingredients list white wheat flour before wholemeal wheat flour.
For a clearly wholemeal flour choice, check for flour labelled wholemeal wheat flour or follow a recipe that specifies wholemeal flour.
Pancakes with a sweet topping alone leave out other foods you may have intended to serve. The NHS Eatwell Guide considers food groups across the day or week, rather than judging one dish in isolation.
Plan suitable toppings and sides too, such as tomatoes with cream cheese or fruit with plain yoghurt, as used in the Tesco and M&S recipes.
Tesco and Waitrose caution that product formulations or recipes can change, which matters when a child needs to avoid an ingredient.
Read the pack in hand before serving and check any added toppings separately.
Joybuy lists a Shanghai scallion pancake made with wheat flour. It is a savoury frozen product, not a ready-made version of the wholemeal recipes discussed here.
Check the flour type, flavour, storage and cooking instructions before treating a pancake product as a substitute.
The listed scallion pancake must be kept frozen and cooked thoroughly from frozen.
These examples distinguish wholemeal recipes and flour from mixed-flour or other ready-made pancakes; they do not describe every product sold by each retailer.
Tesco provides both a wholemeal-flour lunch recipe and a ready-made mixed-flour pancake example.
The M&S banana-and-blueberry recipe is a homemade fruit-and-yoghurt option.
Asda lists an ingredient for making your own wholemeal batter rather than a finished pancake.
Waitrose 4 Buttermilk Pancakes illustrate a ready-made option whose listed flour is not described as wholemeal.
These Joybuy products are flours to consider when making pancake batter at home, not ready-made pancakes. Check that the flour and recipe suit the type of pancake you want to cook.
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A wholemeal spelt flour option for making your own batter. This is flour rather than a pancake mix; check the recipe ingredients and whether spelt wheat is suitable for everyone eating it.
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A 5kg flour option for homemade batter. If a fully wholemeal base is essential, check the pack’s flour description and ingredients before choosing it for your recipe.
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This is wholemeal bread flour for cooking from scratch, not a ready-made pancake or the plain wholemeal flour specified by the Tesco and M&S recipes. Check whether your chosen pancake recipe calls for this flour type.
Not necessarily. Tesco describes its Banana Pancakes as a blend of white and wholemeal flour, with white wheat flour listed first. If the flour used for the base matters to you, check the full ingredients list or make batter from flour labelled wholemeal wheat flour.
Consider fruit or vegetables and a suitable protein-containing food alongside the pancakes. Tesco's wholemeal recipe uses avocado, tomatoes and cream cheese; the NHS Eatwell Guide describes balance across food groups over the day or week.
Yes, if you follow a recipe that gives make-ahead instructions. Tesco says the cooked pancakes from its wholemeal recipe can be separated with non-stick baking paper, wrapped, frozen and reheated in a toaster; follow the instructions for the exact recipe or pack you use.
Read the current pack or recipe ingredients and check toppings separately before serving. Tesco Banana Pancakes list wheat, egg and milk ingredients, while Waitrose Buttermilk Pancakes list wheat, egg and buttermilk; online listings may not reflect a changed recipe.