“An I had but one penny in the world, thou shouldst have it to buy gingerbread.”
—Love’s Labour’s Lost, William Shakespeare
2020 hasn’t exactly turned out as any of us would have expected and so as the year draws to a close, making the most of the festive season feels particularly comforting this year. We’ve noticed a lot of Christmas trees and sparkly lights going up earlier than usual, and who can blame you?! Warming window displays, seasonal spices and cheerful tunes are just what we all need to see out 2020 on a brighter note.
We couldn’t help but get in to the spirit of the season and have created some new brekkie flavours inspired by the warming and familiar notes of Christmas. Gingerbread Joy has just a hint of sweetness to let the natural warming spice of gingerbread shine through, for a truly comforting winter’s morning treat.
The Grimm brothers’ story Hansel and Gretel popularised gingerbread houses, but did you know that gingerbread has actually been used for centuries, all over the world?
Ginger is an ancient root plant that is still used extensively in cooking today, and often as a natural remedy for relieving nausea. So it is no wonder the flavour invokes an especially comforting feeling when used in many of your favourite savoury and sweet dishes. 
Gingerbread has its origins all the way back in ancient Greek and Egyptian times, where it was used first as part of rituals and ceremonies, and then slowly as the flavour became more popular it eventually made its way across Europe where it was then used in an early form of gingerbread, though we probably wouldn’t recognise that version today. Even Queen Elizabeth I began to gift gingerbread men to important visitors – often shaped in their likeness – to symbolise the power and wealth of England. Now, we see variations of gingerbread all around the world – whether as pierniczki in Poland, pernik in the Czech Republic, licitars in Croatia, speculaas in the Netherlands or pepparkakor across Scandinavia.
There is also a tradition of exchanging gingerbread tied together with a ribbon, which was said to be a token of love. Now, we can’t promise you will be able to part with a bag of Gingerbread Joy, but if you do, we’re sure your loved ones will thank you for it – even if they don’t clock it as a symbol of your affection!
Gingerbread Joy and Figgy Clementine Crunch are both available at our online shop until December 24th, or while stocks last.
Gingerbread Joy
With warming gingerbread and cinnamon, this is a yuletide granola with all the flavour of a gingerbread house in a brekkie bowl. Start your day in the festive spirit with syrupy raisins, sweet cranberries, toasted almonds and Elf-approved seasonal spices.
Figgy Clementine Crunch
Add some seasonal cheer to your brekkie bowl with this wintery spiced granola. Decked with Christmassy clementine, figs and cranberries, this is a festive morning treat that even the Grinch will enjoy!
Just add your choice of milk or Greek yogurt for a deliciously festive start to the day.
Snap and share your breakfast @ChilternNaturalFoods #FlavourFamily
Updated: 27 Nov 2020 | Written by: chiltern
