Pancake-lovers have been showing off their skills at a local shopping centre in a bid to be crowned the UK's best flipper.

In the run up to today's Pancake Day celebrations, a Gretna Gateway store has been running a competition to see how many times its customers could toss a pancake in just one minute.

It comes as families, schools, nurseries and groups of friends across the area celebrate Shrove Tuesday - with the annual debate about the best pancake filling a crucial conversation topic today.

Following the celebrations, kitchenware retailer ProCook will reveal the name of its Best Flipper 2017 - and will also find out how they have fared against other branches nationally.

The store at Gretna Gateway Outlet Village launched its annual pancake flipping competition earlier this month.

Shoppers have since been competing in-store.

Kate Lewis, at ProCook, said staff and customers love celebrating Pancake Day with the annual competition.

But winning the title is only for the most hardcore chefs.

“We had a fantastic turnout for the in-store contest last year. The 2016 national winner managed to flip their pancake 119 times in just one minute, so we are hoping to see someone beat that to take the title.

“Once the pancake tossing is over, we will announce our winners. We hope everyone has a fantastic time celebrating Pancake Day and we look forward to announcing our Best Flipper 2017 soon," Kate added.

The top flipper in each store will win a stainless steel frying pan and the overall national winner will receive £200 to spend in-store.

Scott Wells, Gretna Gateway Outlet Village manager, said it has been a fun way to celebrate Shrove Tuesday. “It would be great to see a Gretna shopper beat the 2016 record and we look forward to hearing who will be crowned the Best Flipper 2017,” he added.

For those unable to enter, today is the perfect time to start practising for next year.

Whether you are a pancake pro or newcomer, you only need to glimpse at your social media feed to know it is Shrove Tuesday.

People across Cumbria are posting pictures of their creations so why not and join in and give it a go.

And these days anything goes when it comes to toppings - from traditional sugar and lemon to honeycomb, salted caramel, or even healthy protein pancakes.