Why Grasmere Gingerbread in England’s Lake District Is a UK Must-Visit | Eater

"Housed in a tiny white stucco cottage that began life as a 1630 schoolhouse, this family-run bakery sells gingerbread made from Sarah Nelson’s original handwritten recipe, which is kept under lock-and-key and mixed for final production by only a couple of authorized people. Inside, dark Victorian paneling, doilies and staff in period-style dresses create an intentionally twee atmosphere, while a compact kitchen and ventilation send a buttery, sugary, lemon-tinged ginger-and-crystal aroma into the street that acts as the shop’s most effective advertisement. The product itself is dense and chewy—thick as a cookie but flexible rather than snapping—with pronounced butter, sugar, lemon and both ground and crystallized ginger flavors that encourage slow savoring; the shop also offers ginger tea, ginger beer, ginger curd, stem ginger in syrup and other local treats. Modern conveniences (electric ovens, mixers, card reader, a website and shipping) have been adopted, but the owners resist preservatives, mass retail expansion and corporate offers in order to preserve authenticity, selling mainly from the original site and a small outpost in Hawkshead while positioning themselves as custodians of a local culinary tradition." - Aimee Levitt