ISSUE 13
FESTIVE EDITION
21% DISCOUNT CO DE IN SI DE !
Festive recipes & activities inside!
CONTENTS 3 PG.
PG. PG. PG. PG.
Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time
Simply Having a Wonderful Christmas Time
6 7 9 10
Christmas Gingerbread Baubles Recipe Christmas Gingerbread Cake Recipe
It’s November, which means that December is not too far away, meaning that Christmas is getting closer and closer.
The Hawkens Gingerbread Word Search!
This time last year, many of us across the country were pondering whether Christmas was going to be the same and whether we’d have the pleasure of seeing our loved ones during a period we all cherish the most. Unfortunately, many of us experienced a Christmas without our loved ones and instead reminisced about the Christmas past when things were ‘normal.’ This year, Christmas is set to be different to the last, with less restrictions in place, we can once again spend the festive season we all love the most with our family, friends and close ones. Christmas 2021 is going to be blessed with magic, fun and an abundance of cheerfulness!
Stockists Shout Out
Welcome! Hello! Well, hasn’t that come around quick! We are now in November, meaning that we are that little bit closer to celebrating the festivities! At the Hawkens Gingerbread bakery, we’ve been busy preparing for Christmas; ready for our gingerbread to touch the lips of biscuit lovers across the nation. This issue is packed with festive food for thoughts, frolicking and of course, fabulousness. Be sure to check out our Christmas Gift Guide enclosed; our first ever! Happy reading folks.
2
01476 501 740
alastair@hawkensgingerbread.com
hawkensgingerbread.com
the festivities; the confirmation that it is indeed okay to begin the Christmas preparations! As we enter the store, our noses are exposed to the warm and sumptuous smells of frankincense and festive spices from the fragrance hall, and homemade bakes too from the store’s cafe. Whilst walking down the aisles, we are surprised to see what’s on offer, surrounded by toys, gift sets, clothing items, shoes and so much more. The excitement begins! It usually takes around 10 minutes to fully immerse ourselves into the festive spirit; thinking about all of the fun and joyous moments that are yet to be had. Christmas shopping is just the beginning; Christmas is here and there’s so much to do!
Before entering the doors of our mostvisited department stores, we admire the window displays filled with works of creativity and inspiration for our Christmas outfits, dinner table set-ups and food too. We see well-known brands alongside new and upcoming labels; we see sweet treats and options for savoury lovers too; we see decor to die for and much, much more. Christmas window displays have always played a special part in the lead up to
01476 501 740
alastair@hawkensgingerbread.com
hawkensgingerbread.com
3
Parents, grandparents, aunts and uncles contemplate what to exactly bring to the table for Christmas day, whilst cousins gather their games to keep the family entertained. This Christmas is set to be one to remember and this Christmas, we’re going ‘all out!’ Mum commits to baking an array of delicious desserts for all to devour, grandma writes a list of ingredients for her famous savoury pastries, whilst the aunt and uncle bring the shop-bought snacks - because you can’t go wrong with Christmas day snacking! Hosting this year’s celebrations is the newly married couple, the daughter of the parents; a first Christmas in their home and a first Christmas hosting a family who are easily pleased, despite dad being the biggest critic. The main event (Christmas dinner) has already been planned - from who’s carving the turkey, right through to the Christmas crackers - which all are complete with a special announcement of a bun in the oven. A truly tremendous time of year for all things bright and of course, beautiful. A sense of togetherness. A feeling of sheer happiness. Letters to Santa Claus next! As we sit our children down with some paper and a pen to hand, we look forward to seeing what they long for this year. Amongst the list of ‘wants’ and ‘would likes’ we see items such a lego, barbie dolls, board games, football boots, unicorn costumes and of course, a real life puppy! Lists full of weird and wonderful things; things that will create a lasting beaming smile on Christmas day. ‘Can I have some more paper please?’ The dreaded question, but we have to laugh because children will always be children. We watch our children search the world wide web to find the presents they most desire; gone are the days of flicking through the Argos catalogue! Once the letters to Mr Claus are finalised, we take them away and read them to
4
01476 501 740
take note for next week’s Christmas shopping trip; of course there’s laughter along the way, sniggering at some of the bonkers items that appeared on the list. Christmas is a time for celebrations with our family and friends; this year brings us greater freedom, allowing us to enjoy the company of our loved ones with peace of mind. What does this Christmas mean for us at the Hawkens Gingerbread bakery? Christmas is without a doubt one of our most busy periods of the year; lots of baking to prepare our stockists with their customers’ gingerbread gifting requirements, as well as baking for our online customers too. This year we have introduced new members to the team who are helping us prepare for the festivities, ensuring that gingerbread lovers across the nation are never without a bite of Hawkens throughout the Christmas season. From baking our all year round range of gingerbread biscuits and gingernuts to baking our gorgeous gingerbread Christmas Trees; this time of year is the best time of year for us all at Hawkens Gingerbread! And no, we certainly do not get sick of the smell of gingerbread. And yes, we do most definitely nibble on a few (it’s called taste testing) whilst completing a day of baking!
alastair@hawkensgingerbread.com
Festive Feedback! A collection of reviews from our lovely customers of our festive gingerbread biscuits.
‘I received a pack of these gingerbread men in a Christmas hamper. I was so impressed, I bought another 5 packs and gave them to friends and neighbours! Martin
The Gingerbread Christmas Trees are a true delight, the perfect pick-me-up during the festive period! Sarah
I have purchased the Christmas Gingerbread Men and the Gingerbread Christmas Trees already this year as stocking fillers for all of the family Brenda
hawkensgingerbread.com
01476 501 740
alastair@hawkensgingerbread.com
hawkensgingerbread.com
5
Christmas Gingerbread Baubles Recipe
Christmas Gingerbread Cake Recipe A centrepiece, a magical melt-inthe-mouth moment awaits with this scrumptious Christmas Gingerbread Cake.
So fun to bake! These Gingerbread Baubles will get you in the festive mood in no time.
Ingredients
Method
Ingredients
For the gingerbread baubles
1. Put butter, sugar and golden syrup in the bowl of a stand mixer and beat for 3-4 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add egg and beat until combined. Sift flour, baking powder, ginger and bicarb into a bowl. In 2 batches, stir flour into the butter mixture. 2. Transfer mixture to a very lightly floured bench and bring dough together into a flat disc. Press mixture between four 6-hole bauble moulds, filling 2/3 full and levelling tops. Chill for 30 minutes. 3. Preheat the oven to 140°C fan-forced (160°C conventional). Bake for 12-15 minutes, until the tops are light golden. Cool fully in moulds, then remove. 4. For icing, put egg white in a medium bowl and whisk until just frothy (about 10 seconds). Stir in icing sugar gradually until icing is piping consistency (it should hold its shape when piped; add a little extra icing sugar if too runny). Stir in lemon juice. Cover the surface of icing with plastic wrap if not using straight away. Transfer to a small snaplock bag, snip a small corner edge and decorate baubles. Stand at room temperature for 30 minutes for icing to set.
For the Gingerbread Cake
150g unsalted butter, softened 1/2 cup brown sugar 1/3 cup golden syrup 1 free-range egg 2 3/4 cups plain flour 1/2 tsp baking powder 2 tsp ginger 1 tsp bicarb soda
For the icing 1 free-range egg white 1 1/2 cups pure icing sugar, sifted 1/2 tbsp lemon juice
3/4 cup butter melted 2 cups brown sugar 2 cups molasses 1 cup warm water 1 cup buttermilk room temperature 3 large eggs 2 tablespoons ground ginger 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon 3/4 teaspoon ground cloves 1 1/2 teaspoons salt 1 teaspoons baking soda 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder 4 cups all-purpose flour
For the Cream Frosting 2 8 ounce blocks cream cheese, softened
Method 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease three 9-inch round pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper. 2. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together melted butter, sugar, molasses, warm water, buttermilk, and eggs. Whisk in ginger, cinnamon, cloves, salt, baking powder, and baking soda. Slowly add in flour and mix until just combined. 3. Divide batter evenly into prepared baking pans. Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. 4. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 5 to 10 minutes before removing and cooling completely on a wire rack. 5. Once cooled, make your frosting by beating butter and cream cheese in a large mixing bowl until smooth. Beat in vanilla extract until just combined. Slowly add in powdered sugar until you reach your desired frosting consistency. 6. Layer the cake together, frosting between layers as well as the top and outside of the cake.
1/2 cup salted butter softened
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
01476 501 740
alastair@hawkensgingerbread.com
hawkensgingerbread.com
1 tablespoon vanilla extract 6 cups powdered sugar 01476 501 740
alastair@hawkensgingerbread.com
hawkensgingerbread.com
7
The Hawkens Gingerbread Word Search! Just a little bit of fun for yourself or a household member!
Dear Mr Claus, Firstly, what a year it has bee n! In and out of restriction s; traffic light systems; to wear a mask or not; working from home; the list does go on. Last year, many children acr oss the world were scared tha t you may not have been able to reach the ir homes due to the pandem ic, but we must thank you for your efforts in getting to us eventually , des pite the difficult circumstances. Christmas this year is going to be a blast, we can feel it! We are so looking forward to being around our family, friends and loved one s and we cannot wait to get stuck into som e festive fun and celebratio ns. We hope that you and your family, as well as your hard working elves are pre par ed for this year, because we certainly are. More than often, you are ask ed for material items - toy s, games, clothing items galore, but this year, we’re not asking for much (although a puppy, a golden retriever would be perfect). This Christmas we are longing for the feeling of togetherness wit h those around us. We ask tha t we are able to see our family and friends with ease and that nobody , not one single soul has to suffer this Christma s alone. Christmas is the mo st magical time of the year; spending the fes tivities with the warmth of peo ple is all that we could ever ask for. We ask that our customers are provided with the most delicious foods to devour; the most glorious of festive experiences and the most memorable moments throughout the festive period. Whilst we und ers tand that not all of us are fortunate eno ugh to spend the festivities wit h hearty meals and our loved ones, we hop e that these people are pro vid ed with at least a glimmer of hope for the future, because everyone deserves their own miracle to happen. Children, the elderly, the mid dle aged and the twenty -so methings; all of us deserve a joyous festive season after the tragedies and turmoil we have endured over the last eighte en months. This Christmas, we ask for
happiness, kindness and mo
st of all, health.
Yours truly,
The Hawkens Gingerbread tea MOVIES HAWKENS PRESENTS FRIENDS TURKEY 8
01476 501 740
BAKING SNOW MAGIC TREE SHOPPING FAMILY
SANTA CLAUS LOVE MIRACLE GINGERBREAD FROST CHESTNUTS
alastair@hawkensgingerbread.com
m
CAROLS YULE LOG DINNER FESTIVE SEASON
hawkensgingerbread.com
01476 501 740
alastair@hawkensgingerbread.com
hawkensgingerbread.com
9
Stockists Shout Out! Taking a trip out shopping for Christmas presents and food for the home? Or looking for the perfect Christmas hamper? Check out our stockists! Did you know that our gingerbread and gingernuts range are available across numerous National Trust sites, visitor attractions, farm shops, garden centres, independent shops and cafes, as well as hamper companies too?
GODSEY LANE COFFEE
Throughout this festive period, you can find our Christmas gingerbread range and our all-year-round range dotted across the UK. We work with a wide range of businesses to ensure that they can offer their customers the true taste of gingerbread with our handmade artisan bakes.
Let the festivities commence!
BRITISH HAMPER COMPANY
Shop Online at
hawkensgingerbread.com follow us on social media
MOUSE HOUSE CHEESE LINCOLN
10
01476 501 740
alastair@hawkensgingerbread.com
hawkensgingerbread.com
@hawkensgingerbread US E CH RISTMAS 21 to re ce i ve 2 1% o ff yo u r o n l i n e o rd e r 11