Happy Gingerbread Christmas!

At the start of this month in a rare moment of feeling domesticated I decided I would try and make a gingerbread house for my boyfriend's mum and dad for Christmas. Then because I was going to have to make it at my own mum and dad's house (bit too difficult to transport a fully made gingerbread house 2 hours down the M5 and country lanes!) 

I felt it would only be fair to make one for them too...

 I started 3 days ago (honestly haven't really left the kitchen since) 

and following this recipe from the lovely Kirsty Allsopp,

I've managed to knock up some half decent ginger lodgings if I do say so myself.

They aren't quite the perfect Swiss chalets I had imagined and that you see on Pinterest, but considering I often struggle not to burn pasta I am blinkin proud!

Here are the end creations:

House Number One

 

House Number Two

 

There were a few hairy 'moments' attaching the roof where I had to use jam jars as props, and I had a bit of a disaster when I tried to lightly dust some snow over the roof tops after a couple of glasses of gin and ended up with more of an avalanche of icing sugar, 

(you will notice the penguins have an extreme case of dandruff) but all in it went pretty well!

Happy Christmas to all, see you on the other side!!