Traditions · England

The Greaze

Every Shrove Tuesday, Westminster School's cook tosses a horsehair-reinforced pancake over a bar five metres high. Pupils scramble for pieces. The one holding the largest piece wins a gold sovereign from the Dean of Westminster. This has been happening since at least 1753.

In brief

The Greaze is Westminster School's Shrove Tuesday tradition. The Head Cook tosses a horsehair-reinforced pancake over a horizontal bar 5 metres above the floor of the school's Great Hall. One pupil from each year group scrambles for the fallen pancake. The pupil who holds the largest piece wins a gold sovereign presented by the Dean of Westminster Abbey — a prize and a tradition documented since 1753.

How the Greaze works

The Greaze is held in Westminster School's Great School — its historic main hall, within the grounds of Westminster Abbey. One pupil from each year group is selected to participate.

The Head Cook prepares a special pancake: not a normal crêpe, but a thick, heavily fatted disc reinforced with strands of horsehair woven into the batter to give it structural integrity. A standard pancake thrown five metres into the air and over a bar would disintegrate; the horsehair version holds together.

The cook stands below the Great School bar — a horizontal metal bar approximately 5 metres above the floor — and tosses the pancake over it. The pancake clears the bar and lands in the space beyond, where the selected pupils scramble. Whatever piece a pupil is holding when time is called determines their prize. The pupil with the largest piece wins the gold sovereign. Smaller pieces earn smaller prizes. The pancake is not expected to be edible — the horsehair component ensures that.

The gold sovereign is presented by the Dean of Westminster, reflecting Westminster School's historic relationship with Westminster Abbey. The school was founded as a monastic school within the Abbey precinct; the Dean's participation in the Greaze is a living remnant of that connection.

Why “the Greaze”?

The name derives from the greased pan in which the pancake is cooked. Pancakes on Shrove Tuesday were traditionally cooked in liberal amounts of fat — the original point of the day was to use up lard, butter, and eggs before Lent.

“Greaze” is an archaic spelling of “grease” — reflecting either the age of the tradition or a Westminster School idiolect that has preserved the older form. The same word appears in some historical records of pancake-making as a description of the fatted pan. Westminster School has retained both the custom and its antique spelling.

The tradition was noted as an established custom in 1753 — the earliest firm documentary reference — but almost certainly predates that. The monastic school at Westminster would have cooked pancakes on Shrove Tuesday from its medieval origins, and some form of the scramble tradition likely developed over a long period before it was formally recorded.

When is the Greaze?

The Greaze is held on Shrove Tuesday — the day before Ash Wednesday. The date shifts each year because it is tied to Easter.

Upcoming Greaze dates

Year	Shrove Tuesday (Greaze)
2027	9 February 2027
2028	29 February 2028
2029	13 February 2029

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the Greaze at Westminster School?+

The Greaze is Westminster School's Shrove Tuesday pancake tradition, held annually in the school's Great Hall. The Head Cook tosses a specially made pancake over the Great School bar — a horizontal metal bar approximately 5 metres (17 feet) above the floor. One pupil from each form scrambles for the pancake as it lands. The pupil who ends up holding the largest piece wins a gold sovereign from the Dean of Westminster Abbey. All participants who secure a piece also receive a prize. Records of the Greaze date to at least 1753.

Why is the pancake reinforced with horsehair?+

To survive being thrown over a 5-metre bar. A standard pancake tossed that high would either fail to clear the bar or disintegrate on landing. The Greaze pancake is made with horsehair — strands of hair woven into the batter — to give it structural integrity. It also contains more fat than a normal pancake (hence the name: "greaze" from the greased pan). The horsehair pancake is cooked specifically for the Greaze and is not intended to be eaten in the normal sense; the prizes go to whoever holds the pieces, not whoever eats them.

Where does the Greaze take place?+

The Greaze is held in Westminster School's Great School — the main hall of the school, part of the buildings within the precinct of Westminster Abbey. The Great School bar is a horizontal metal bar set approximately 5 metres from the floor, above which the pancake must be tossed. Westminster School is one of England's oldest schools, with origins in the monastic school of Westminster Abbey, and the Great School is its historic centrepiece.

How old is the Greaze tradition?+

The earliest confirmed record of the Greaze dates to 1753, though the school believes the tradition to be older. Westminster School's Shrove Tuesday connection — cooking pancakes on the day before Lent — would have existed from at least the medieval period when the school was attached to the Abbey. The specific scramble format, with the toss over the bar and the prize to the largest piece, is first documented in 1753. The gold sovereign prize continues today, though the coin is now typically a specially minted commemorative sovereign rather than a coin in circulation.

Why does the Dean of Westminster give the prize?+

Westminster School was founded as a monastic school within Westminster Abbey — one of the most significant religious institutions in England. Though the school became independent over the centuries, its historic ties to the Abbey remain, and the Dean of Westminster (the head of Westminster Abbey) continues to present the gold sovereign at the Greaze as a mark of that historic connection. The Dean's participation makes the Greaze one of the few school traditions that involves a significant national religious figure.

Is the Greaze open to the public?+

The Greaze is an internal school event, not a public spectacle. Westminster School does not generally admit the public to the Greaze, though it is covered by the press and has been filmed for documentaries. The tradition is distinctive enough that it appears regularly in Shrove Tuesday media coverage as an example of England's more eccentric pancake customs.

More British Shrove Tuesday traditions

→Ashbourne Shrovetide Football: the world's longest football match →Shrove Tuesday traditions around the world →The history of Pancake Day and Shrove Tuesday →Make the classic British pancake

Sources & further reading

Westminster School: The Greaze (school history)
Greaze — Westminster School archive (earliest documented 1753)
Shrove Tuesday customs in English schools — English Folklore Society
Westminster Abbey and Westminster School: historical ties

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