More Than Just Gingerbread (Grasmere Gingerbread)

Member Name: Allypags

Product:	Grasmere Gingerbread
Date:	19/07/08 (85 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: It's delicious

Disadvantages: It's in Grasmere - only a disadvantage if you're not

This is gingerbread like no other so don't stop reading if you happen to dislike your bog standard gingerbread men. It's very, very different.

Just to make sure I get it spot on I am eating some as I type so you can be sure that this review is as accurate as possible.

I would say this is probably my favourite food ever and visiting the shop has always been a highlight of every holiday in the Lake District (and that's saying something because the place has a lot more than gingerbread to offer). It's often described as being more like shortbread but it's so much nicer than that! I don't even like shortbread so I disagree anyway.

It's just delicious and soft and crumbly and gingery and spicy. The main taste is just deliciously spicy - mainly ginger, obviously. It is also nicely buttery and sugary (dark brown sugar) and every so often you'll bite into a lump of peel which gives it a slightly fruity taste. The overall effect is basically that it tastes like christmas but don't let that put you off eating it at any time! The texture is soft with a very crumbly layer on the top - almost biscuity in texture but so much softer and so much better.

The recipe is an old one, developed by Sarah Nelson in around 1850 and somehow it just tastes like a good old traditional recipe. Unfortunately the recipe is also a secret and is even locked away in a bank vault so there is no getting your hands on it and creating your own substitute.

This is far more than just gingerbread - the whole experience is truly wonderful. The shop in Grasmere is tiny and tucked away in a corner by the church making it very easy to miss. Apart from two things......the deliciously tempting aroma of fresh gingerbread wafting down the street and (usually) the mile long queue out of the door of the shop. So all in all you can't really miss it. But do not be put off by the queue - usually I find a quick wander round the village is all that's needed and when you return most of the crowds will have gone (it's usually a bus load of tourists just arrived who will soon disperse). Even if the queue doesn't go though I would still join it and just enjoy the build up - it will be worth the wait.

As you get closer to the door of the shop the smell just keeps getting stronger - considering the length of the queue there must be a pretty huge quantity of gingerbread baked there each day so it's no wonder you can smell it. Still it hits you as even stronger when you get inside the delightful little shop (an old schoolroom which just adds to the appeal). There is room for about three customers on one side of the huge counter and a couple of people serving on the other side but the shop is packed full of goodies. There are all sorts of sweets - including kendal mintcake of course and souvenirs like aprons and postcards with the Grasmere Gingerbread logo on. Nothing tacky at all - just really lovely traditional looking delights in a really lovely traditional looking shop. And piled high on the counter are the packs of gingerbread. Each one wrapped only in paper (white with the blue logo) held in place with an elastic band.

You can buy packs of 12, 6 or just individual pieces and the price is amazingly cheap for something so good - around £3.50 for 12 pieces. Once you have decided how many packs you want (usually a lot in my case) you will be served by somone dressed in Victorian style frilly apron and bonnet who will put each pack into a separate little paper bag. It really is a lovely experience and like stepping back in time. Once you have your gingerbread you leave looking rather smug as you go by the poor people still waiting in the queue; all the while wondering if you've been lucky enough to end up with gingerbread that is so fresh from the oven that it's still warm.

There is nothing better than eating this stuff still fresh and warm from the shop. I have been disappointed a couple of times but more often than not it has been still warm when I've bought it and if not it is still wonderfully fresh and worth tucking into straight away. Having said that I am steadily working my way through three large packs I bought last week and five minutes in the oven brings it back to almost as good as the really fresh stuff. It's just so wonderful trying to find a nice quiet spot to eat it - but quickly because I find my patience soon runs out when I want to eat it! Then unwrapping the simple paper packaging, breaking a piece off and trying to lose as little as possible while eating it - you generally end up with crumbs everywhere which always seems like such a waste!

For anyone who doesn't happen to be going to the Lake District, don't despair because you can now order the gingerbread online! It obviously doesn't come still warm and you don't get the full experience of the shop but it's really fresh and definitely worth getting. You can also buy some of the souvenirs online and you can order a giftcard. I have been lucky enough to receive a pack in the post as a surprise and it was very nearly as good as going to the shop! Even the cardboard box it came in had their logo on and I've still got it. Mine came in a lovely little presentation tin which is very cute as well as being very useful - it's the perfect size for carrying 6 pieces of gingerbread for a picnic or snack without it getting bashed up. Postage is expensive bringing the price to almost £8 for a pack of six but the more you buy the better the deal because the postage doesn't increase if you add a few more items.

I would really recommend visiting this shop if you happen to be in the area and I'd almost say it's worth going especially! Even if you're not a fan (and don't be put of before you try because it's like nothing else) it makes excellent presents. I find a pack of six keeps people very happy as a souvenir from my holiday and at a cost of only £1.90 it really couldn't be better.

Overall this is an experience not to be missed whether you think you like gingerbread or not.

Summary: Probably the nicest food ever