Once upon a time… That’s the way all tales about the fabled Gingerbread House story should begin. Same with Shangri-La Hotel, Bangkok’s giant Gingerbread House, except that this one’s for real.
Childhood memories of many people may dream of a wonderful Christmas and a fantastic New Year from either their imagination or fun-filled novels they have read before. These fond memories sometime live inside our hearts forever.
The hotel’s Executive Pastry Chef Claus Olsen loves Christmas and all the fun traditions it brings, especially creating and decorating gingerbread house.
The large Gingerbread House he created to delight guests in December 2017 is partly inspired by a fairy tale, that of “Hansel and Gretel who were abandoned in the forest and finally came upon a chocolate cottage with a combination of icing, nougat, candy and biscuit in the middle of a glade.
Located in the hotel’s lobby in front of The Chocolate Boutique, the big baked house is where Chef Claus makes all the magic happen.
Believing firmly in the concept that pastry should be nice and simple, Chef Claus and his young and young-at-heart protégés gathered all the ingredients needed to make this tasty confection.
Chef Claus spent several weeks planning and cooperating with helping hands from various departments, including engineering, housekeeping, security, and of course, his bakery team, to build the house. Construction of the Gingerbread House commenced on 26 November 2017, involving 30 people and took 50 hours to complete. Everything was ready on Thursday, November 30, 2017.
The giant Gingerbread House weighs around 800 kilogrammes including the wooden structure. Almost 600 kilogrammes of butter, brown sugar, flour, baking powder, icing sugar, and spices are baked in the mix. Along with 962 egg yolks and nearly 90 litres of egg white, lemon juice and molasses.
“The building of this gingerbread house follows the Christmas spirit to wow people’s senses and bring joy throughout the festive season,” said Chef Claus.
The giant Gingerbread House is home for festive hampers and goodies wrapped in beautiful packages that are on sale throughout December till January 5, 2018.
Home-made festive delights available range Mixed Christmas Cookies, Chocolate Santa Claus, Stollen, Panettone, English Fruit Cake and a Baby Christmas Cupcake Set. Prices range from Baht 299 net to Baht 1,199 net.
As the ultimate bespoke gifts, Chef Claus has prepared two options to give a lasting impression for family and friends:
The Christmas Hamper Box featuring traditional festive treats, such as Panettone, English Fruit Cake, Strawberry Yogurt Pearls, Ginger Bread, Chocolate Frost Cake, Mixed Christmas Cookies, and Short Bread Collection, priced at Baht 4,799 net.
The Christmas Hamper Bag is priced at Baht 2,799 net and includes Stollen, Mixed Christmas Cookies, White Chocolate Caviar, and a bag of Brunsli.
SHANGRI-LA HOTEL BANGKOK
89 Soi Wat Suan Plu. Tel. 02 236 7777 or 02 236 9952. Email: restaurants.slbk@shangri-la.com.
