When Sunderland had a pancake queen but we wonder how she did against other Shrove Tuesday contestants
Magnificent Martha Craig was Sunderland’s pancake day hero 33 years ago.
Not only could she make a great pancake, she was also chosen to represent Wearside in a national competition.
Martha was Sunderland’s representative in the national finals
It was in February 1993 that 71 year old Martha was named the Pancake Queen of the Pallion Road Gala Bingo Club.
The Southwick residents was chosen to represent the city in a national pancake tossing competition. The contest was part of Gala's annual Pancake Day Jamboree, which was held in Leeds.
Did you know;
Facts about Shrove Tuesday
Around 52 million eggs are used in the UK on Shrove Tuesday, resulting in roughly 117 million pancakes eaten.
The tradition of pancake races are thought to date back to 1445 when a woman rushed to church, still holding her frying pan.
The largest pancake was 3,000 kilos and it was created in Rochdale, in 1994. It was flipped using a crane.
Shrove Tuesday is always the day before the start of Lent, which is Ash Wednesday, meaning it always falls on a Tuesday. Ash Wednesday marks the 46 day period in the build-up to Easter Sunday, 40 days of which mark Lent.
Tell us how Martha did
Historically Shrove Tuesday is also synonymous with an early "medieval football" game. It often involved the participation of sometimes hundreds of people, most of the town or village’s men, with each team having a ‘goal’ target sometimes over a mile apart.
One of the closest games used to take place in Sedgefield in County Durham while another took place in Alnwick which is still re-enacted today.
But we want to know how Martha did in the grand finals in 1993. If you know get in touch by emailing [email protected]