In Brittany we have a saying: ‘The first one is for the dog,’” laughs Marie Georget, admitting that even in the spiritual home of the crêpe, the initial attempt is rarely a success. This may come as some comfort if you find yourself fit to fling your supposedly non-stick pan at the wall this Pancake Tuesday.

Though if you live anywhere near Ennistymon, Co Clare, you could just spare yourself the spatula-rage and hot-foot it to Oh La La! crêperie.

“Shelter from the storm,” invites a chalkboard, as Irish Country Living steps into the cosy Breton-style bolthole where an open fire blazes to a cool jazz soundtrack.

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Opened in 2009 on a €5,000 credit union loan, Oh La La! has since become a mainstay on Ennistymon’s main street. But what brought Marie from the west of France to the west of Ireland?

“When I was 19, I came for a summer to learn English – and met my now-husband,” she smiles, of falling for Galway man Cian Kearns who works as a surf instructor.

“I remember my parents came to visit that summer and I told them I wasn’t coming home. They didn’t like it at all – and I didn’t even tell them I had a boyfriend at first.”

Marie had also fallen head over heels with the Irish lifestyle and coastline, which shares similarities with her home in Carnac where her parents are oyster farmers. Growing up in Brittany, life revolved around food.

“Even if it’s an everyday meal, you always have three courses,” explains Marie – but of particular importance is the crêpe or savoury galette, given the tradition of growing buckwheat in the region.

“It’s like the pubs in Ireland, every town has several crêperies,” explains Marie. “But from the very first summer I arrived here, I noticed there were no crêperies in Ireland.

“In Clare I was doing summer jobs because it’s very touristy, but in winter it was always very quiet. We were travelling in Columbia in 2009 and I remember saying to Cian: ‘When we go back, I’ll have no job again,’ and that’s when he said: ‘Why don’t you do the crêperie business you’ve always been talking about?’”

With impeccable timing, a cafe that Marie had her eye on became available that August. Within two months, Oh La La! opened for business, with the credit union loan covering the deposit, the first month’s rent, start-up stock and two crêpe machines from France.

“I drove over to pick them up and did a three-day crash course with friends that run a crêperie,” explains Marie.

“It was my mum’s 50th birthday at the same time and the machines had just arrived, so I just fed everybody, and that was it.”

Oh La La! opens year-round, with Marie flipping up to 150 crêpes a day during the height of summer with the help of two staff. Using up to 600 kilos of flour annually, needless to say she can whip up any combination from classic lemon and sugar to more decadent berries with white and dark chocolate or a banoffee-inspired crêpe with banana, caramel, cream and biscuits.

However, the Breton influence is evident in the range of savoury galettes – suitable for people who are gluten-intolerant – with choices including goat’s cheese and honey, Clonakilty black pudding with apple compôte or Burren smoked salmon with leeks and crème frâiche, washed down with a traditional cider if you are feeling particularly Gallic.

“Bacon and maple syrup is a good one because sometimes people can’t decide whether they want sweet or savoury,” smiles Marie.

Seeing as Pancake Tuesday is approaching, why not try both of Marie’s savoury and sweet recipes at home (see panel left.) Though we reckon the dog doesn’t stand a chance of getting his paws on even the first one in our house.

Something sweet:

Banoffee crêpes

500g plain flour

3 eggs

100g sugar

½ litre milk

1 Mix all the ingredients together. You might want to use an electric mixer to make sure there are no lumps. If the dough is too thick, dilute with water.

2 On a very hot pan, cook the crêpes on both sides, rubbing the oil around the pan using the kitchen towel technique between each crêpe. Scoop a ladle into the pan and swirl it around to coat the whole pan. Pile the cooked crêpes on a plate and cover with a large sheet of tinfoil to keep them warm. Serve at once. Everyone can make their own at the table using their favourite toppings.

3 For a banoffee crêpe, assemble ingredients on a crêpe in this order: half a banana, whipped cream, caramel/butterscotch, crumbled biscuit.

Something savoury:

Black pudding and apple galette

A galette is a savoury crêpe made with buckwheat flour. I would recommend mixing the buckwheat with regular flour as it’ll be easier to work in a pan at home.

400g buckwheat flour (you’ll find it in any health food shop)

100g plain flour

A shot glass of salt

One egg

Water

1 Mix all the ingredients together and dilute with water. Consistency is always key – not too thick, not too thin. Cook using the same method as above recipe.

2 Cook your black pudding in a pan as you would normally. Make some apple sauce, maybe a little thicker than you usually would.

3 Making sure your ingredients are warm, assemble by folding the galette in half and scooping a serving spoon of apple sauce, topped with two slices of black pudding (I like to crumble it) and a dollop of crème fraîche or sour cream, then fold again. Enjoy.