Grasmere Gingerbread celebrates its 170th anniversary

Grasmere Gingerbread was invented in 1854 by Victorian creator cook Sarah Nelson who mixed and baked her spicy-sweet chewy concoction inside her neat Church Cottage home – now The Grasmere Gingerbread Shop – and sold it to villagers and visitors from a table top on a tree stump outside her front door.

Within a few years, its reputation had reached nearly every corner of the country and with the advent of the steam railways, tourists flocked to Grasmere to buy her succulent invention.

Sarah Nelson outside the shop (Image: Submitted) Now, 170 years after the creation and launch of Grasmere Gingerbread, Sarah Nelson’s remarkable, unique legacy lives.

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A spokesperson for Grasmere Gingerbread explained that the brand has 'stayed true' to its Cumbrian roots because it has 'never uprooted them and left'.

Over its 170 years, it has attracted customers from the UK and globally including Europe, Asia, the USA and Canada.

"Current owners Joanne and Andrew Hunter regard themselves as custodians of Victorian cook Sarah Nelson's spicy-sweet cross between a biscuit and a cake. People value the provenance and authenticity of the brand," added the spokesperson. 

Owners Joanne and Andrew Hunter (Image: Submitted) They explained the original recipe has never changed, adding 'Why would you change perfection?'.

"The recipe is still a secret and Sarah Nelson's original handwritten copy is kept in a bank vault."

Grasmere Gingerbread recently opened a second shop in Hawkshead which is proving very popular with customers and tourists.

The shop in its modern days (Image: Submitted)A special green and gold 170-anniversary tin was launched this year and several new products such as gooseberry and ginger conserve to commemorate the anniversary.

It is also hosting a literary festival to showcase all the books written that feature The Grasmere Gingerbread Shop.

"Grasmere Gingerbread continues to delight people from all over the world by offering old-fashioned high-quality service in a world that has become increasingly automated and alienating," they concluded.

For more information visit the Grasmere Gingerbread website here.