IT'S pancake day again but before you dig out the butter and flour, we've spoken to Oxford's premier pancake makers to find out how the experts do it.

Erwan Akkouche, the son of Crepes O Mania owner Akim Akkouche, told us the secret to making the best batter is to 'have a bit of fun with it.'

He added that there was no wrong way to make a pancake - except burning it or leaving it as liquid in the pan.

"There is no textbook perfect way, everyone likes it differently", according to Mr Akkouche.

"The key thing is finding the correct time to flip it - that can make or break the pancake.

"Some like it really crispy, others really soft. You just have to play around with it." 

Among other tops tips for pancake-making are to use a liquidiser to mix the ingredients, leaving the batter to sit for 15 minutes before cooking and using a ladle to measure the perfect amount. 

The ever-popular creperie has had stalls in University Parks and Broad Street for ten years and recently set up a kiosk in the new Westgate shopping centre.

Among the most popular fillings is chocolate spread Nutella - which, Mr Akkouche said, they go through several kilograms of each day.

He added: "It mixes well with bananas which are in season at the moment - we are waiting for strawberries to come into season at the end of the month and into March, which are most popular. They fly out of the fridge.

"Pancakes are so soft that anything fresh inside works, even savory with fresh spinach."

He is anticipating a busy day today, saying: "Some people only give themselves pancakes on pancake day, but where we are in Oxford allows people to enjoy pancakes at any time."