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.
READ MORE: 'It is getting busier' - store celebrates its first year in business 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.
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