Christmas isn’t just about twinkly lights, an endless palette of red, gold and green or an indoor evergreen surrounded by piles of presents. Certain scents can also trigger Yuletide glee.
Cinnamon, clove, satsuma; you could be led blindfolded into a Christmas market and know exactly where you were just by sniffing out these rich notes.
Another opulent Christmassy olfactive? Ginger.
More specifically, gingerbread. The festive season is heaving with the baked good, from gingerbread cookies threaded with ribbon as sustainable tree ornaments and nostalgic gingerbread men drizzled with icing to fabulous gingerbread houses for them and their little toasted families to live in.
We have the Germans to thank for the wholesome tradition of baking and decorating gingerbread houses. Or rather, the Brothers Grimm: making the edible houses took off after the publication of Hansel and Gretel in the early 19th century as readers, swept up in the fantasy of a giant gingerbread house in the middle of a forest, sought to make their own versions, understandably omitting the witchy inhabitant of the fairytale.
The tradition lives on today, with contenders from around the world attempting to outshine each other every year. Notable mentions go to Texas’ Traditions Club which fashioned a 60ft long and 20ft high gingerbread house, using 7200 eggs, 180 pounds of butter and 3000 gallons of brown sugar in the process, finishing off the look with 22,304 pieces of candy for decoration (the calories totalled 35,823,400).
Closer to home, Chelsea in west London will be the location for the Museum of Architecture’s 2024 Gingerbread City as biscuit architects build their vision of a future city - out of, you guessed it, gingerbread.
Whether you’re building a kingdom, a quaint miniature village or just one house, the activity remains a timeless favourite across British households, stoking Christmas excitement amongst kids and adults alike. If you’re not a natural baker, you can still join in the fun with a kit that has all the pieces ready to assemble (because decorating is the really fun bit).
If you’re looking for a guide to making and finessing your own gingerbread house this year, we’ve rounded up the kits to help below. They can be made with your little ones or steal the spotlight at a Friendmas gathering.
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The Treat Kitchen Gingerbread House Kit 830g
Get straight into the construction action with The Treat Kitchen’s kit, which includes all the parts pre-baked and ready to assemble with icing and sprinkles. This one, which includes a chimney as an extra detail, comes with a base to make it easier to showcase on a serving platter or cake stand.
Buy now £16.00, Harvey Nichols
Lakeland Traditional Gingerbread House Kit
If you’re looking for a simple kit that the kids can get on with while you take 10 minutes to wrap (and hide!) their presents, Lakeland has you covered. Its adorable triangle house comes with a base to slot pieces together and there’s a festive gingerbread tree to decorate out front too. Finish it off with sugar-coated chocolate pieces and sprinkles - we say the more, the better.
Buy now £18.99, Amazon
Waitrose Christmas Build Your Own Gingerbread House
Small and sweet, Waitrose gets in on the gingerbread house-building action with this kit which comes with a tube of white fondant icing, sprinkles and sugar snowflakes for the final flourish - there’s even a sweet wreath to hang above the front door. If you’ve got all the family round, why not get a few kits and start a competition? Your new Christmas tradition starts here.
Buy now £6.00, Waitrose
CREATE-A-TREAT Gingerbread House Village Kit
Sometimes it takes a literal village to get the festive spirit up to appropriate levels. Create-A-Treat’s gingerbread village kit is probably better for older kids who have the patience required for such a build.
You’ll make two small gingerbread houses (it’s a very small village) made with pre-baked cookie walls, floors and ceilings, along with white icing plus decorative sweets to get the desired effect. A great way to give their eyes a break from screens over the Christmas break.
Buy now £9.29, Amazon
Pertzborn Decorated Gingerbread House
You can guarantee a Santa of some description will come to call over Christmas, even if only in tiny sugar candy form. Saint Nic is just one of the components in this traditional gingerbread design by Pertzborn; you’ll get icing, chocolate buttons and of course, the house pieces too.
Buy now £25.00, John Lewis
Pertzborn DIY Gingerbread House Kit, 950g
German company Pertzborn makes a selection of gingerbread house kits that European consumers go wild for come Christmastime. This version includes two happy gingerbread residents, plus a house and a tree to decorate. If it’s your first time hosting Christmas for the family or you’re newly married, it makes a sweet decoration to add to your festive spread.
Buy now £19.50, John Lewis
Cadbury Chocolate House Kit
Not all kids like the taste of ginger, in which case, Cadbury’s chocolate version is bound to delight.
The cute and delicious chocolate cottage is made with cornershop favourites including Dairy Milk bars, white chocolate buttons and a Cadbury flake on the roof. All instructions are inside and we are deducting points as you will need to mix or buy your own icing to keep everything held together.
Still, for choc-lovers looking for a reason to indulge this Christmas, this ticks all the boxes.
Buy now £11.25, Boots
Biscuiteers DIY Gingerbread House Kit
The priciest gingerbread option in our list comes from cult bakery brand Biscuiteers. Presented in the company’s signature biscuit tin, a peek inside will reveal perfectly baked house pieces, icing mix, red festive food colouring sprinkles and sugar pearls to take your creation to new heights. For best results, decorate the biscuit pieces flat on a table before you begin construction work.
Buy now £38.00, Biscuiteers
Craft and Crumb Gingerbread house making kit
Cooking the pieces to make your own gingerbread house will not only taste miles better, but it will leave your home smelling amazing too. Craft and Crumb have gathered the important ingredients - with gingerbread dry ingredients mixed and premeasured - into this kit so you can do real festive baking with excited kids.
You’ll need a few store cupboard essentials but it will be worth the effort when you’re looking at your freshly assembled house. Includes house piece templates and gingerbread men cookie cutters.
Buy now £25.00, Craft and Crumb
