The moment I step into Bread Ahead’s kitchen for a gingerbread ornament-making session, I am greeted with a fat slab of dough that smells divine. Master baker Kevan Roberts has rustled it up for me, but during a usual class participants work together to make it before it’s divided up and rolled out.
I kick off by cutting out Christmas trees, angels and stars (basic, but they’re all classics, okay?). Then it’s time to stamp out a second shape in the middle where I can pop in broken shards of boiled sweets, crushed up into pastel hues.
We are encouraged to mix the colours to form a stained glass window effect, swirling together as they melt in the oven. At first taste, the fiery kick of ginger beats any gingerbread I’ve attempted at home.
Straws are used to poke holes for ribbons to be laced through before piping bags are handed out for final embellishments. They look so good, it almost makes up for the class’s hefty pricetag. I’d say I’m saving them to hang on my tree, but with half my box already demolished, I’d be lying.