Method

You can make the pancakes up the day before, keep them in the fridge wrapped in cling film, then slice them up before serving.

Crack the eggs in a mixing bowl, then add the flour to the bowl so it sits in a pile to one side of the eggs. Gently start mixing the eggs with a whisk, then gradually whisk the flour in, little by little, until it’s all incorporated. If it gets a bit thick, add some of the milk to loosen it up. Once all the flour is mixed in, add the rest of the milk, 2 tablespoons of oil and a good pinch of salt.

Leave for at least 1 hour before using. Heat a large non-stick frying pan and melt a bit of butter (oil) in it.

Pour in a ladleful of batter, swirl the pan around, then pour any loose batter back into the bowl it came from. You should be left with a thin pancake stuck to the pan. Let it cook for a minute or so, flip it over for 30 seconds and then slide it out onto a plate. Repeat until all your batter is used.

Let the pancakes cool completely on a wire rack.

The batter should yield about five pancakes, so you could use the remainder for breakfast.

Make a rectangle of double thickness cling film about 40cm x 15cm and lay two pancakes on it side by side, slightly overlapping. Spread them with a thin layer of crème fraîche, lay most of the chives on top, season well with pepper and place a layer of smoked salmon over the top. Use the cling film on one of the long sides of the rectangle to roll the pancakes up tightly like a Swiss roll. Re-wrap in cling film and leave for at least half an hour in the fridge to firm up before slicing into slices about one inch thick. Serve with a dip made from the rest of the oil, lemon juice and salt and pepper.

Sprinkle with the remaining chives before serving.