the enchanting evolution of picnics! A leading food blogger makes an amazing Cheesecake using hawkens lemon gingerbread. find the Recipe Inside!
discover the true charm of chocolate The ultimate bitesize magazine for gingerbread lovers
issue 3
August 2020
CONTENTS 03 THE EVOLUTION OF PICNICS
Sit back and discover the transformation of a British favourite
06
BLOGGER RECIPE! Instagram foodie and baker, Dolly shares a recipe including our Italian Lemon Gingerbread Men
07
THE CHARM OF CHOCOLATE We discuss chocolate because... why not!
05 OUR CUSTOMERS A special letter from a Grantham Gingerbread fan, Tom
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✉ alastair@granthamgingerbread.com @hawkensgingerbread
The Gingerbread Bakery 28 London Road Grantham, Lincolnshire NG31 6EJ
greetings! A warm welcome from the team at Hawkens Gingerbread! As we enter one of our favourite months of the year, we talk about the art of picnicking; where this fantastic concept came from and what our picnics consist of on a stunning summer’s day. Food blogger Dolly (@dine_with_dolly) shares her Gingerbread Lemon Cheesecake - YUM! For chocolate lovers, we discuss the reasons why we love chocolate and how truly gorgeous our Chocolate Orange Gingerbread men are. Don’t forget, you too can be featured in our next issue by simply getting in touch with your stories, recipes and top tips via email: alastair@hawkensgingerbread.com
PICNICS: THE ENCHANTING EVOLUTION A LOOK BACK ON A SUMMER PAST TIME A FAVOURITE AMONGST MANY It’s August 2020 and the sun is shining; socially distanced gatherings are now the norm; al fresco dining has made a comeback, a comeback so big this year that every public park you pass, you’ll spot a gingham blanket with a wicker basket sat proudly on top. To picnic is to congregate with loved ones. To picnic is to indulge in a combination of savoury and sweet delights. To picnic is to appreciate the wealth of enchanting nature surrounding us… With everything comes a beginning and for picnicking, history dates back to the 14th century when hunting for meat was first established. Medieval hunting feasts would bring locals together, devouring the foods that had been chased and caught by the feasters’ hands. A complete difference to what we now practice to be picnicking. Throughout the centuries, picnics have evolved like you wouldn’t imagine. Once renowned amongst the French aristocrats, commonly known to be an act for the elite, picnicking was in fact an event held in the houses of the exceptionally rich. More than often, picnics during those times consisted of eating extravagant foods, slurping on alcoholic concoctions and winding down with a dance. The vast majority of attendees would be expected to ‘do their part’ and contribute towards the delicacies those who didn’t would simply be expected to offer a monetary contribution. We cannot discuss the act of picnicking without making reference to the French revolution; a period of social and political disparities in where many fled to neighbouring European countries.
One magnificent consequence of the French Revolution for Britain was that with the immigration of the French aristocrats to the country, came their cultural practices of picnicking. Wealthy and well-to-do French nationals settled in Britain, bringing picnics with them and in 1801, several of these settlers formed London’s Pic Nic Society. Those who were members were to supply a dish upon their arrival to the affairs as well as not one, but six bottles of wine! As you can imagine, picnics were events for fun and frolicking, allowing like-minded upper-class individuals to meet, mix and mingle. Food glorious food! Picnics in the 1800s were filled with plentiful foods to tingle tongues and palates and judging by Mrs Beetson’s Book of Household Management, attendees were unlikely to leave with an empty stomach. The famous go-to household bible for wives, mothers, daughters and more provided those who were interested in hosting a picnic a ‘how to guide’ and ‘what to include,’ detailing precisely what would equate to the ‘perfect picnic.’ With most picnics acquiring around 40 attendees, a substantial amount of food was on the mouthwatering menu: cold roast beef; four meat pies; four roast chickens; two roast ducks; four dozen cheesecakes; platters of biscuits and one large cold plum pudding! It was also advised that to quench the thirst of attendees, three quart bottles of beer, claret, sherry and brandy would do the trick. Such lavish affairs were perceived in great positive light, leading to the middle classes aspiring to picnic too. Wanting a slice of the ‘action’ and the fear of missing out, the middle class created their
own picnics, one that we are most familiar with now. Rather than hosting picnic affairs indoors, the middle classes practiced picnicking outdoors; soon becoming popular for appreciating the countryside and rural surroundings. In the 19th century, picnicking was fashionable; friends and families would meet to take dining outdoors, even for grand events like Ascot. Wicker baskets filled with gorgeous foods became common amongst those who could afford to spend money and time on admiring the great British outdoors. However, the aristocrats were still in favour of dining indoors; picnics for them remained as opulent events boasting entertainment, fine foods and esteemed company.
crockery etc made picnicking more convenient; people were able to simply visit their local supermarket, pick their favourite foods and pack them away for a picnic with their chosen companions. Since then, picnicking hasn’t evolved significantly, other than picnicking being accessible, available and doable by all, regardless of their social class. What has perhaps changed is the contents of the picnic, as of course, this relies on individual tastes and preferences. Back in the 18th and 19th centuries, picnicking seemed to involve great effort and making mammoth meals; meats, puddings and beverages galore! Picnics nowadays often consist of simple pickme-ups and will perhaps include a handful of homemade dishes.
The 19th century was a year of many progresses, one being the accessibility of trains and transportation. In 1840, the railway was established across Britain’s glorious countryside, making for opportunities to travel around the country for family, friends and loved ones. Because of the acclaimed popularity for visiting different destinations in Britain, railway stations were able to generate greater profit by selling ready-made picnic hampers for passengers to enjoy; these hampers would be filled with scrumptious foods and cutlery too. Selling ready made hampers was of course not a new concept during the 19th century, as Fortnum & Mason’s 1749 classic picnic basket included foods for elite travellers visiting their friends and families across the country.
Sweet treats such as light biscuits, cheesecakes, cookies and more were back then an important element for a traditional picnic. Once the ‘main courses’ had been consumed, something sweet and moreish to devour was chosen to finalise the meal. Like today, we save dessert ‘til last (or shall we say, best ‘til last)! As we sit writing the history of picnics, we ponder the perfect picnic on a sensational summer’s day. A savoury crispy tart; a dozen of homemade scotch eggs; a generous helping of a colourful salad; freshly picked strawberries and some Original Grantham Gingerbread with a cup of tea in a flask! Perhaps with the latter, we are biased, but let’s be real - picnics are everyone’s favourite past times and who would have known that the French Revolution was the beginning of this al fresco pleasure?
Post World War 2, the arrival of And, on that note, to picnic this week we supermarkets, plastic packaging, cutlery, shall!
A MESSAGE FROM TOM IN THIS ISSUE WE SHOWCASE A HEARTWARMING LETTER SENT TO US BY A GRANTHAM GINGERBREAD LOVER, TOM. TOM TELLS US HOW HE WAS FIRST INTRODUCED TO GRANTHAM GINGERBREAD 70 YEARS AGO BY HIS GRANDMOTHER. GRANTHAM GINGERBREAD USED TO BE A ‘MUST HAVE’ BISCUIT IN PANTRIES AND PEOPLE OF BOSTON LINCOLNSHIRE WOULD HAVE THE PLEASURE IN PURCHASING THEM FROM THE BOSTON MAY FAIR. IT BRINGS US MUCH DELIGHT TO BE SHARING THIS LETTER WITH OUR GAZETTE READERS, WE ARE ALSO THRILLED THAT OUR ORIGINAL GRANTHAM GINGERBREAD TASTES EXACTLY HOW IT USED TO SEVEN DECADES AGO!
DOLLY’S LEMON GINGERBREAD CHEESECAKE FOOD BLOGGER DOLLY SHARES HER YUMMY LEMON GINGERBREAD CHEESECAKE RECIPE
Serves 10-12
method
INGREDIENTS Base: 125g Hawkens Italian Lemon Gingerbread Men 40g butter Filling: 340g cream cheese 110g caster sugar 110ml double cream 2 large eggs 1tsp vanilla essence Zest 2 lemons Juice of ½ lemon 30g plain flour
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees. Crumble the gingerbread with fingers and mix with melted butter. Press into grease proofed tin using the back of a spoon. Chill in the fridge. Whisk cream cheese, sugar and cream together. Add vanilla essence and eggs gradually and then add the zest and juice of lemon. Fold the flour in. Bring the base back from the fridge. Pour the mixture onto the base. Bake for 30-40 minutes and then leave to cool in the oven afterwards with the door open to avoid cracking for 15-20 minutes. Chill in the fridge and top with crumbled Hawkens Italian Lemon Gingerbread and caramelised lemon slices (optional)
Want to feature in future issues of the gingerbread gazette? send us your recipes directly to: alastair@hawkensgingerbread.com
To view more of dolly's baking masterpieces, visit her instagram page: @dine_with_Dolly
THE CHARM OF CHOCOLATE WHY WE AND THE WORLD AROUND US LOVES THIS DELICIOUSNESS WE CALL CHOCOLATE Chocolate, oh how we love to close our eyes whilst it melts in our mouths. So much flavour, so many varieties; we never know which to choose. Do we reach for a classic cadbury’s milk bar, or do we opt for an artisan dark confection? In an era where the democratisation of chocolate has seen the delicious food expand across the globe, there are many reasons why we all love this superbly scrumptious delight! Discovered by the Maya Indians, devoured by the aristocratic elite and now enjoyed by us all; it’s almost difficult to comprehend that chocolate was once a luxury, subject to the wealthy. When first established, the cocoa bean formed a bitter drink, meaning that chocolate was only consumed in its liquid form - consumed cold may we add! The cocoa beans would experience a process of drying and grinding before it was mixed with water and often a serving of chilli too. Back then, many loved the taste for its unique tingle in liquid form. Similar to a hot chocolate that most of us slurp on a cold winter’s day, however consumed cold. Each to their own, we say! It wasn’t until the 19th century that the powder formula was uncovered by simply separating the fat from the cocoa bean. Once this revolutionary became a common phenomena, people stopped drinking chocolate in its cold liquid form and substituted the cold water with hot milk. Voila, your typical hot chocolate was unleashed… Mass production combined with the commercialisation of chocolate allowed even the poorest of society to indulge in this melt-in-the mouth delicacy. We can only thank British Chocolatier, J.S Fry for creating the show stopping, jaw dropping, finger licking chocolate bar. We can only bow down to the likes of Henri Nestle and Rudolf Lindt for opening our eyes and mouths to something so incredibly tasty and heartwarming.
We as a global population love chocolate for multiple reasons. Families gather around their dining rooms to a tiered chocolate cake centrepiece, celebrating birthdays, christenings, weddings and more. Children share bitesize chocolate pieces with their friends, bought from the corner shop on their morning walk to school. Boyfriends gift their girlfriends with a box of deliciously flavoured pick-me-ups for Valentine’s Day. Grandparents bring a batch to the house for the festive season. Dads present a selection of favourites to Mums to apologise for something as simple as not keeping the house clean. Chocolate brings us happiness and at Hawkens Gingerbread we identified the sheer joy of such sweet luxurious moments, leading us to produce our Chocolate Orange Gingerbread Men. A hint of orange combined with rich chocolate undertones, allowing lovers of both gingerbread and chocolate to bite into chunks of something quite special! As we bake these handsome Chocolate Orange Gingerbread Men we remember the times chocolate has made us grin with both our mouths and eyes. It’s not just the special occasions, but also the small moments. Moments like relaxing after a manic day in the bakery; moments like needing a quick sugar fix and moments like simply longing for the taste of chocolate to hit our mouths, creating a unique feeling of ecstasy. What's your reason for loving chocolate? Do you have any memories or moments that you'd like to share with us? If so, drop us a line: alastair@hawkensgingerbread.com.
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