UKRAINIAN refugees living in and around Bradford on Avon have celebrated their national pancake week.

Eastern European nations generally celebrate the ancient Orthodox Christian holiday,  known as Maslenitsa, from March 11 to 17, marking the end of winter.

The celebration is Ukraine’s most picturesque and cheerful holiday and is traditionally accompanied by songs, dances and large-scale feasts.

To celebrate Maslenitsa, Ukrainian refugees in Bradford on Avon and the surrounding area held a pancake event in Westbury Gardens on Saturday (March 16).

They were treated to a sumptuous feast created by Ukrainian master pastry chef Iryna Malenko who was one of the finalists in the BBC One TV cookery show Master Chef.

Wiltshire Times: Visitors queue for a pancake at the Ukrainian Pancake Week celebration at Westbury Gardens in Bradford on Avon. Image: Trevor Porter 76880-3Visitors queue for a pancake at the Ukrainian Pancake Week celebration at Westbury Gardens in Bradford on Avon. Image: Trevor Porter 76880-3 (Image: Trevor Porter)

Iryna said: “I was planning to open my own bakery in Ukraine, developing one brand and acquiring the premises I needed, but the war started and I had to emigrate.

“I have been living in England for some time now and work at a local restaurant. I really want to introduce the English people to the Ukrainian cuisine.

“I use local ingredients and have developed a line of desserts including a Ukraine traditional honey cake, in which I combine Ukrainian and English traditions using local ingredients.”