Best shop-bought Pancake Day toppings to buy

Don’t be without a top-quality pan to cook your pancakes, either – this makes all the difference when you need to get flipping. Our guide to the best pancake pans includes all our favourites, with low edges and smooth, non-stick surfaces to help you achieve the perfect flip. For a versatile pan you’ll use all the time, the best non-stick frying pans can be used well beyond Pancake Day – we tested them by sizzling steaks and frying eggs to find the ultimate must-have pans.

Best shop-bought pancake toppings to buy

Joe & Seph's sticky toffee sauce

You might be a fan of Joe & Seph's popcorn, but did you know it makes a huge range of caramel sauces, too? We fell for the classic sticky toffee sauce – a simple mixture of golden syrup, double cream, sugar and salt that somehow manages to taste exactly like a sticky toffee pudding. Drizzle generously over crêpes and add a scoop of vanilla ice cream. There's plenty more to choose from, too – we also tried the toffee apple & cinnamon caramel sauce, which provides a subtle fruity hit.

Available from:
Joe & Seph's (£4.99)
Ocado (£4.30)
Amazon (£4.30)

Cartwright & Butler orange zest honey

Swap standard honey for something special with this unique fruity honey. This jar of spiced orange honey has bags of zesty flavour and tiny chewy bits of orange peel – definitely one to try for crêpes suzette fans. The sweet packaging also makes it a great gift idea.

Available from:
Cartwright & Butler (£10.50)
John Lewis (£8)
Amazon (£9)

Harvey Nichols fruity cherry curd

If you want to explore beyond your usual lemon curd, Harvey Nichols has a range of indulgent options to choose from. This cherry curd tastes just like cherry drop sweets, and would be excellent with a drizzle of chocolate sauce for Black Forest gateau-style pancakes. Or, stick to citrus with Harvey Nichols's bright blood orange curd, which is accurately described as tasting like ‘butter and marmalade in a jar’– you’ll have to resist eating it on its own with a spoon.

Available from:
Harvey Nichols (£4.50)

M&S lemon sherbet drizzle

This sharp and tangy lemon ‘sherbet drizzle’ is essentially lemon curd, packaged in a helpful squeezy bottle. It's extremely zesty, with a strong, sharp lemon flavour, perfect for cutting through sweet pancakes. The bottle also suggests using it as a cake filling or over ice cream, both of which would be delicious. For kids or those with an extreme sweet tooth, M&S also has a pink Percy Pig dessert sauce – guaranteed to be a love-or-hate item.

Available from:
Ocado (£2.10)

Lotus Biscoff sauce

Sweet and spiced Biscoff spread is a familiar feature in bakeries now, appearing on cupcakes, swirled into brownies or spooned into milkshakes. This jumbo-sized squeezy bottle of soft Biscoff sauce makes serving easy, which is perfect for a pancake party.

Bonne Maman hazelnut chocolate spread

A decent chocolate spread is a Pancake Day staple. This one, from jam experts Bonne Maman, is everything you need: rich and velvety smooth, it melts easily and has balanced, deep cocoa notes alongside pleasing sweetness. It's made from 20% hazelnuts and free from palm oil.

Available from:
Waitrose & Partners (£2.80)
Sainsbury's (£2)
Tesco (£2.80)

Tiptree salted caramel spread

For a slightly milder caramel option than the Joe & Seph's dark sticky toffee sauce, this creamy golden Tiptree salted caramel spread is sure to be a crowd-pleaser. Its firm texture would also work well in a banoffee pie.

Available from:
Tiptree (£2.99)
Ocado (£3)
Amazon (£3.49)

Strazzanti crema di pistacchio Siciliano

For a luxurious pancake, Strazzanti’s nut spreads are a superior grown-up alternative to classic chocolate hazelnut ones. This sweet pistachio spread is made with 40% Sicilian pistachios, all produced using sustainable dry farming methods. The delicate green hue gives way to intense nutty flavour – a little goes a long way. There are hazelnut and sweet almond spreads to try, too.

Available from:
Strazzanti (£11.95)

Tiptree chocolate spread

Chocolate spread without the nuts! Straight from the jar, this firm spread makes a perfect alternative to hazelnut-filled options for those with a nut allergy. A quick blitz in the microwave melts this down into a luxurious dark chocolate sauce.

Available from:
Harvey Nichols (£3.50)
Ocado (£2.50)

Pure Maple maple syrup

Pancake Day wouldn’t be complete without maple syrup. Pure Maple offers three grades of Great Taste Award-winning maple syrup: golden delicate, amber rich and dark robust. As the names suggest, the flavours get more intense the darker you go, from light and sweet golden delicate to intense dark robust, with subtle bitter notes. Try all three and find your favourite.

Available from:
Pure Maple (£12)

Daylesford organic fruit compotes

Daylesford’s range of thick, super-concentrated organic fruit compotes are perfect for spooning over fluffy American pancakes or crêpes along with a dollop of yogurt. Made just with organic fruit and sugar, there are several seasonal varieties to choose from. We particularly love the intense classic rhubarb (that one's best enjoyed with some custard), but there are also sunny apricot, nectarine and strawberry options. Once Pancake Day is done, try the compotes on scones, in a Victoria sandwich or with granola and yogurt for breakfast.

Available from:
Daylesford Organic (£3.99)
Ocado (£4.o5)

Melrose and Morgan English honey

Prefer honey to maple syrup? We love this simple English wildflower honey. The pale golden runny honey has soft floral notes, made by bees foraging field and hedgerow blossoms, including Yorkshire broad bean flowers and white clover.

Available from:
Melrose and Morgan (£7.50)

Eat17 bacon jam

Want to try something different this Pancake Day? Go the savoury route with this smoky, sticky bacon jam – a tangy relish with garlic, red onions and plenty of herbs, this packs a punch. Spread thinly on crêpes with grated cheese and spinach for the ultimate Pancake Day dinner. Chorizo or chilli versions are also available.

Available from:
Selfridges (£4.99)

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