Of course, we can’t assume that Costard – Shakespeare’s clown-ish country bumpkin from Love’s Labour’s Lost – represents Shakespeare’s own taste in biscuits, but I like to think that gingerbread might have been a favourite of Will’s, too.
Although the traditional Elizabethan recipe involved stale white bread, red wine and fresh ginger – sound appealing? No, I didn’t think so either. Sorry Will.
So instead, like a modern-day Goldilocks, I have tried various recipes until I found the recipe that is just right.
I like my gingerbread to be a bit soft rather than dentist-inducingly firm. I also like mine with a real kick of ginger, but if you want less of a kick and more of hum just use 3 teaspoons of ground ginger rather than 4.
This recipe is incredibly easy. You mix the wet ingredients together, then mix the dry ingredients together and then whack ‘em all in one bowl while the scent of Christmas-spiced flour drifts through your kitchen…