Ingredients: For the gingerbread
4oz butter
1 cup light brown muscovado sugar
½ cup golden syrup
½ cup honey
½ cup treacle
6 cups all-purpose flour
1 tbsp finely chopped preserved ginger
3 tbsp ginger powder
1 tsp ginger syrup from the ginger
2 tbsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt

Ingredients: For the caramel (for sticking your house together):
1 cup superfine sugar
⅛ tsp cream of tartar or 2 tsp lemon juice

To finish:
250g confectioner’s sugar
Your choice of sweets to decorate
Ribbons

Method: To make the gingerbread
   
1. Heat oven to 325°F.
   
2. Cream the butter and sugar then add the syrups, spices and salt. Once combined add the flour and ¾ cup water, alternating adding and mixing in a little of each at a time. Once done, the dough should be stiff enough for rolling.
   
3. Roll the dough between one sheet of baking parchment and one sheet of plastic wrap. This will stop the dough sticking to the rolling pin. Roll out to 10mm thickness, then place in the fridge for 30 minutes.
   
4. Remove the dough from the fridge and peel off the plastic wrap, keeping it on the sheet of baking parchment. Lightly dust your dough with flour so that when you lay your printed template on, it won’t stick. Use a pizza cutter to cut around the templates – this is easier than using a knife as it won’t drag your dough and distort the shape. Keep your cut shapes on the piece of baking parchment and transfer to a baking tray.
   
5. Bake for around 35–40 minutes.
   
6. When your pieces come out of the oven and they are still warm, lay your template over the top and re-cut using the pizza cutter. Gingerbread always spreads, so this way your pieces will line up and be easier to assemble. At this point you can cut out a few small holes along the top edge of the roof sections, ready to thread ribbon through later.
   
7. While your house is disassembled, this is the best time to decorate, so any sweets you stick on won’t slide off. Mix the confectioner's sugar in a bowl with two to three tablespoons of water and use to stick down your sweets in any pattern you like. You can also add the icing into a piping bag with a thin nozzle to pipe designs onto your pieces, like little windows and roof tiles. Then, wait for the icing to set.

To make the caramel
   
1. Place sugar and cream of tartar (or lemon juice) into a wide saucepan with a quarter cup water. Don’t touch. Don’t stir. Or the mixture will crystallize. Place over a medium high heat. Once the sugar stars to brown, turn the heat to low. At this point, swirl the pan rather than using a spoon to stir.
   
2. When the mixture comes to the boil, reduce the heat and watch the caramel brown. If you spot dark streaks forming, remove from the heat. The syrup will continue to cook even when taken off the heat. Aim for a medium amber color.

To finish
   
1. Take your decorated gingerbread pieces – make sure you know which side you are dipping – and place on a board or plate. I like to start with one of the side walls and build out from there. Assemble the walls of the house, using the caramel along the edges to stick them together, then add the roof. At this point, you’ll need to thread your ribbon through the holes in the roof pieces before you stick them together, but leave the tails untied for now.
   
2. Once assembled, place the remainder of the icing in an icing bag with a star-shaped nozzle. Ice over the joins, creating icicles along the edges to disguise them. Once you’re happy, you can tie your ribbons into bows for the final touch.
   
TIP: If you prefer, you can use royal icing (icing made with egg white, instead of water) to stick your house together. It dries really hard and is great for construction. I like to use caramel as it sticks instantly. However, it can be hot to handle and once you place you piece together there’s no changing it. Royal icing gives you a bit of time to move things around, but also takes a bit of time to set. If you are using it, have some tins and boxes handy to keep the gingerbread pieces propped up until your house dries.

Decorating around the house
   
If you’ve not had enough fun decorating your house, my family love to add extra decorations and sweets to the garden surrounding it. We make fences from marshmallows or pretzels, pathways with jellybeans and sprinkles, and pine trees using upside-down ice-cream cones decorated with excess confectioner’s sugar and edible glitter.