Gingerbread Men Recipe

If she has the Gingerbread Men bow, she will need the recipe to go with it. This is an easy one.

Makes approx 16 Gingerbread Men - 350g (12 oz) plain flour, 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda, 2 tsp ground ginger 110g (4 oz), diced butter 175g (6 oz), soft light brown sugar, 4 tbsp golden syrup, 1 beaten egg, currants - to decorate.

Method: Preheat oven to 190 °C / 375 °F / Gas 5. Sift the flour, bicarbonate of soda and ginger into a mixing bowl. Rub in the butter until the mixture resembles fine breadcrumbs, stir in the sugar. Beat the syrup into the egg the stir into the flour mixture. Knead this dough until smooth, divide in half. Roll out, half at a time, on a floured surface until about 0.5 cm (¼ inch) thick. Using a cookie cutter, cut out gingerbread men until all the dough has been used up, re-rolling and cutting the trimmings. Repeat with the second half of the dough. Place the gingerbread men on greased baking sheets and decorate with currants to represent eyes and buttons. Bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown. Leave on the baking sheets to cool slightly, transfer to wire racks to cool completely. Then eat! Bite their heads off or feet first? I always leave their little head until last. Somehow it just makes me feel better.

Gingerbread Bow

Gingerbread men are always irresistible even when printed as a simple shape. Printed in white on chocolate brown ribbon, this little bow is the perfect accessory for cookie baking days.

A long Sunday lunch, a trampoline, a three year old and a Chloe clip. Lunch was delicious, the trampoline kept the kids entertained, the three your old was a happy combination of chatter and activity and through it all the Chloe clip stayed put! Never once did her mum say "would you hold my wine while I fix her clip".

Loving the spots and the colour combo! A very comfy headband in a sleeve of beautiful ribbon.

Halloween fun! As children we planned for weeks what we would be and not necessarily something scary - cowboys, fairies, Disney characters, race car drivers and fireman were all acceptable choices. The dressing up box existed long into our teen years as the previous year's costumes were altered to create something new. A hula skirt became a rather itchy scarecrow wig and the cowboy waistcoat and sheriff badge took on a whole new style when worn by a 15 year old in a denim mini skirt. A rather humorous costume was the "bunch of grapes". Purple tights and leotards with many balloons attached was a great idea until we realised we would not be able to sit down all evening.

Fairies, a Ladybird, a Pumpkin, Cinderella and a Cowboy (that same waistcoat, first worn by my brother in 1969) filled the house with laughter this year. Nothing scary just pumpkin carving, too many sweets and lots of fun!