The Gingerbread Gazette l Issue 12 l Autumn Issue

ISSUE 12

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Autumnal recipes for all to enjoy this season hawkensgingerbread.com

CONTENTS PG.

PG. PG. PG.

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Let the Cosy Nights Commence this Autumn

Let the Cosy Nights Commence this Autumn Chocolate Dipped Gingernuts Recipe

Wow, well summer came to an end pretty fast! Good job we love this autumnal season; perfect for cosy nights in with a cuppa right?

Pumpkin Ginger Loaf Recipe

There are many reasons to love autumn; okay, so we may not be graced with the beautiful summer nights and the sunshine giving us the greatest golden hour; but autumn does have its beauties too. As the longer evenings come to a close and the skies begin to become darker much sooner, we sit and ponder the true beauty of autumn and why it has to be a joyous season for us all.

Get Stocked Up for the C Word

Welcome!

Brrrr, it’s starting to get a little bit colder in the evenings now don’t you think? Welcome back, Gingerbread Gazette readers and hello to the newbies who are yet to discover the wonderful world of gingerbread with us! We are thrilled to be back once again sharing some scrumptious content with you all.

In this issue we discuss the comforts that this season brings and of course how we cannot help but reach for our gorgeous gingerbread men when opting for a night in with our great friend named, Netflix! We’ve loved creating this issue as it provides you readers with various autumnal recipes that will get those taste buds tingling - oh, how we love that tingling sensation. You may be wondering why we’ve included a chai tea recipe in this issue, but hear us out here; a cup of chai tea is the perfect match with our gingerbread according to one of our team members! PS, we’ve also mentioned the C word (Christmas); guess you’re going to have to read on to find out more! Happy reading folks, as always, it has been a true pleasure.

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Reds, golden yellows and oranges too whether you are walking to walk, going for a run or taking a leisurely stroll across the canal, the colours that are presented to our eyes never fail to fascinate. Though the days are shorter, the temperature cooler, autumn is a colourful season with its autumnal combination of shades that we so often see whilst doing our daily business. As we see those gorgeous colours come to light during a fresh Friday morning, we can also hear the crunch of autumn leaves as we place one foot in front of the other. From afar, you can see a patient father walking along with their tiny human and stopping whilst said tiny human grabs a handful of those autumn leaves and chucks them in the air

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whilst you watch from a distance, chuckling away.

Across the road you can see the bright faces of teenagers as they tease their friends on the way to school. Autumn presents many colourful moments and memories, bringing out the best in everyone.

Trick or treat? This season brings together children and adults to celebrate the longawaited tradition, Halloween. Fangs, fear and flippin’ fun! A celebration where the face paints, the costumes, the wacky hair-dos (or don’ts) are accepted; a celebration allowing parents to ‘let loose’ whilst watching their children play those spooky games; a celebration allowing neighbourhoods to enjoy a night of fun.

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Adult group chats ping weeks before halloween to discuss the costumes they’d wear to the highly anticipated Halloween party. Couples dressing as dead Bonnie & Clyde; 6ft tall Steve dressing as Frankenstein; men wearing masks to scare everyone in sight, and let’s not forget the classic ghost with merely a sheet over their head - there’s always one!

Once arriving at the party, attendees tease one another about their costume efforts, whilst the host prepares food and drinks (anything pumpkin, of course). Although summer gatherings have come to an end, autumn brings together households, families and friends to celebrate some of the silly things in life!

What’s Autumn without cosy nights in? The perfect season is upon us, leading us to hurry home from a long working day to get inside and put our comfies on. A series or a movie?

Perhaps a tense thriller or an enlightening documentary? For us bakers, it’s gotta be the Great British Bake Off! Baking challenges, fooling around and mesmerizing masterpieces - all the things we love on a Tuesday night whilst winding down. Watching the Great British Bake Off is indeed one of our favourite guilty pleasures, and of course this viewing has to be done with a gingerbread biscuit or two in hand. A cup of tea you ask; our gingernuts are the perfect match. A glass of milk? Our gorgeous gingerbread men are a delight to go-with. Something for the kids too?

Our cartons of bite sized gingerbread are ideal for nibbling on.

ourselves pondering about is the festivities ahead. Okay, so maybe it is a little soon, but before you know it, it will be tinsel and trees galore! The high street for many towns and cities has already begun its preparations with shops introducing their Christmas ranges; cafes and coffee shops are mastering their festive menus; garden centres are preparing their extravagant Christmas displays and… well you guessed it, Hawkens Gingerbread are preparing for one the most exciting festive periods yet. With last year’s lockdown letdowns, is it any wonder that businesses, organisations and people are already thinking about the excitement and joy that Christmas brings?

For those of you who are already taking the festivities into consideration, make sure you keep an eye out in the coming weeks for our Christmas Gift Guide; filled with Christmas gifting ideas, stocking fillers and hampers there’s something for everyone, as always, with Hawkens Gingerbread.

For now, enjoy the awesomeness of Autumn; enjoy the crunching sounds of the autumn leaves; enjoy those chilled evenings with your family and friends; enjoy the wonderful season ahead whatever you decide to do during the next few months!

The best Gingernuts! I wanted to try the Gingernuts having been a fan of Grantham Gingerbread. They are so good, perfect dunkers, gooey with pieces of ginger! Another great biscuit from the home of ginger delights!

Kay

Couldn’t recommend this range of products more highly; they’re all prizewinners!

John

Love all the gingerbread men!

Beautifully moist, full of flavour. Can really taste the natural ingredients!

For some of you, perhaps a lot of you in fact, Autumn is a season filled with thoughts about…

Christmas! Once the last day of summer passes, let’s face it, the next big thing that we find

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Brenda

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Chocolate Dipper Gingernuts Recipe

Pumpkin Ginger Loaf Recipe Time to put that pumpkin into use with this mouthwatering recipe, perfect for the halloween parties ahead!

Looking for something sweet with a fiery kick? Get your hands dirty by giving these delicious gingernuts a go! The perfect pick-me-up for those of you with a soft spot for chocolate!

Ingredients

Method

Ingredients

Method

2 heaped tsp ground ginger

1. Heat the oven to 180°C/160°C fan/ gas 4. Line a 20cm x 30cm baking tray with baking paper. Put the ginger, flour, bicarb and a good pinch of salt in a large mixing bowl. Rub in the butter with your fingertips (or use the paddle attachment on a stand mixer) until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.

Stir in the sugar and golden syrup and mix to a dough. Knead until smooth, then press into the lined baking tray, flatten the top and score into bars, dragging the knife about halfway through the mixture.

2. Bake for 15 minutes, then remove, score again along the score lines and return to the oven until golden and slightly cracked on the top. Remove from the oven, score into bars once more, then leave in the tin to cool for 5 minutes. Lift out the biscuits from the tin using the baking paper, then leave to cool completely on a wire rack.

3. Melt the chocolate, either in a microwave in short bursts or in a bowl set over a pan of barely simmering water (don’t let the bowl touch the water), then pour into a smaller, deep bowl or mug. Once the gingernuts have cooled completely, break into bars, then dip halfway into the melted chocolate. Place on a sheet of baking paper to cool and harden, then serve.

250g chunk of pumpkin or

1. Put the pumpkin or squash in a microwave- proof bowl with a dribble of water. Cover with cling film, pierce with a couple of holes and cook in a microwave on High for 5-10 mins, or until the pumpkin is soft and mashable. Drain off the water and mash until smooth. Put the treacle, syrup, sugar and milk in a pan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved.

2. Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Grease and line a 900g loaf tin with a strip of baking parchment.

Sift the flour, bicarb, spices and a pinch of salt into a bowl together. Tip in the diced butter and rub with your fingertips until no big lumps remain.

3. Whisk the mash and the egg into the lukewarm syrupy mixture, then stir everything into the dry ingredients. Pour the batter into the prepared tin, scatter with most of the crystallised ginger and bake for 45 mins until a skewer poked into the centre comes out with just moist crumbs attached.

Scatter over the remaining sliced ginger to stick, then cool in the tin. This cake tastes delicious once thoroughly cooled and sliced, but even better if wrapped in parchment and foil, and left for a couple of days to mature. Perfect with a cuppa, smeared with some butter.

300g self raising flour 1 scant tsp bicarbonate of soda 120g unsalted butter, chilled, cut into chunks 100g golden granulated sugar 120g golden syrup 100g dark or milk chocolate, chopped

If you have a recipe you’d like to feature in our future issues of the Gingerbread Gazette, please get in touch by simply sending an email to: alastair@ hawkensgingerbread.com 6

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squash flesh (the scoopings from your Halloween pumpkin are perfect) 50g black treacle 140g golden syrup 140g light soft brown sugar 100ml semi-skimmed milk 100g cold butter , diced, plus extra for greasing 225g self-raising flour 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda 1 tbsp ground ginger 2 tsp mixed spice 2 medium eggs , beaten 8-10 chunks crystallised ginger, thinly sliced

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Chai Tea Latte Recipe

Get Stocked Up for the C Word!

This one’s for all of you tea lovers who enjoy a dunk or two with their gingerbread biscuits and gingernuts!

Because it is never too early to prepare for the most wonderful time of the year!

Ingredients 2 cinnamon sticks 8 cardamom pods 4 cloves 6 peppercorns 1 star anise 2cm piece of ginger sliced 3 black tea bags

So, perhaps it is sooner than you think - you know, all of the preparing talk and all of that. But, last year, our famous Gingerbread Christmas Trees ran out of stock at a rapid rate last year and that’s why they’re back in stock now, ready for people’s Christmas preparations and of course, celebrations too.

Method 1. Toast the spices in a dry frying pan until they are fragrant then put them, the ginger and tea bags into a teapot or cafetière with 500ml freshly boiled water and leave to infuse for 10 mins.

2. Heat the milk with the brown sugar, stirring until the sugar has dissolved. Once lightly steaming froth the top with a milk frother or whisk to create some foam.

3. Strain the tea between 4 mugs, or heatproof glasses, then pour in the milk, keeping the froth back. Stir to combine. Top each latte with a bit of the milk foam then dust with a pinch of cinnamon.

Perfect to nibble on throughout the festivities; whether it is tree decorating day, or a cosy night in watching Christmas films, our Christmas Gingerbread Trees are the ideal bite sized gingerbread for all to enjoy. The best part? They’re baked and packaged to perfection, not only for you to enjoy, but your family and friends too! Whether they become a part of a festive hamper or a stocking filler; these Gingerbread Christmas Trees also make for the perfect gift for sweet-tooth lovers to enjoy!

500ml whole milk or coconut milk 1-2 tbp of brown sugar Pinch of cinnamon to serve (This recipe serves 4 people)

If you have a recipe you’d like to feature in our future issues of the Gingerbread Gazette, please get in touch by simply sending an email to: alastair@hawkensgingerbread.com

Creating magical melt-in-the-mouth moments Shop online at hawkensgingerbread.com USE GAZE T TE 20 TO RE CE I V E 2 0% O FF

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