Grasmere Gingerbread is launching ‘Golden Tickets’ that will deliver cash prizes of £170 to customers during their 170th anniversary celebrations.

Three special green and gold coupons will be hidden inside 12-piece tins of Grasmere Gingerbread.

These special tins are being sold online throughout August, September and October.

“It’s our way of saying ‘thank you’ to our customers who have helped to make Grasmere Gingerbread® what it is today,” said Joanne Hunter, co-director of the historic Lake District business.

The spicy-sweet chewy concoction was invented by Victorian cook Sarah Nelson in 1854.

She sold it to villagers and visitors from a tree stump outside the front door of her home, Church Cottage, which is now The Grasmere Gingerbread Shop.

As Grasmere Gingerbread celebrates its 170-year anniversary, it enjoys a place in the hearts of royalty, leading chefs, celebrities and locals.

Since taking over the business from her parents in 2000, Joanne and husband Andrew have transformed Grasmere Gingerbread® from a small cottage industry that employed three people into a global ambassador for the Lake District that now has 30 members of staff and customers in 80 countries across the world.

Last year it opened its second shop in Hawkshead, which has also proved to be very popular with visitors.

Joanne said: “We have always seen ourselves as custodians of Sarah Nelson’s culinary legacy and feel immense pride that her wonderful Grasmere Gingerbread® is enjoyed by so many people.”