Gingerbread is thought to be the oldest type of biscuit there is. 

Ginger has been used as a preservative for hundreds of years and the spices are said to warm the blood. In fact gingerbread dates back to ancient times when ginger was known for its medicinal properties, often used as a cure for stomach aches - ginger products are still recommended to help in particular with morning sickness during pregnancy (now there's a good excuse for gingerbread if ever I heard one!)

Crusaders returning from the Middle East in the 11th Century brought the new spice with them and, as the cost of the ingredients and spices dropped, gingerbreads slowly became more popular across Europe & Britain. The English added breadcrumbs to the recipes and in the 16th & 17th centuries, flour replaced the breadcrumbs to make gingerbread lighter and more like the version we know today.

It is said that important visitors to the court of Queen Elizabeth I were impressed with gingerbread portraits - so this is where the first gingerbread men were made!

The Brothers Grimm's fairytale of Hansel and Gretel in the early 1800's inspired the tradition of baking gingerbread houses and, as Christmas became more commercial over the years, gingerbread biscuits and decorations became an integral part of the season.

In Scandinavian countries, different gingerbread recipes are used for different creations - with structures needing a harder and more substantial biscuit than smaller cookie style shapes.

The Gingerbread Grotto’s gingerbread is a fairly soft recipe, which is enhanced by the firmness of the royal icing and different textures of sweets used to decorate it.