Fortunately for residents at Skelmersdale's Birch Green Care Home, they weren't actually expected to eat the pancakes they had so much fun flipping on Shrove Tuesday!

Canny Activities Co-ordinator Karen House  had sneaked off to the supermarket to buy  ready made pancakes purely for  traditional tossing in the home's lounge.

But when it came to tea time, they tucked into fresh ones cooked under stringent hygiene conditions  by Birch Green's chef  Dennis Hawkins.

 "It was just as well!" laughs Karen, who says the majority of  the ready made ones ended up on the floor as residents flipped them in their frying pans with varying degrees of success.

 Karen added: "It was a hoot. Everybody had great fun but I don't think anyone would have wanted to eat them afterwards!"