Horsham a village in West Sussex was once famous for its gingerbread. Lesley Ward the founder of Horsham Gingerbread Bakehouse wanted to revive this fame, from her collection of hand written recipes. The tray bake gingerbreads were inspired by a poet Percy Bysshe Shelley, who grew up near Horsham – he had a massive sweet tooth! [a bit like me].

To create these rich tray bakes Lesley and her family used the finest natural locally sourced ingredients – linseed meal grown and processed by Durwin Banks, local honey and flour to mirror what Shelley had in his kitchen more than 200 years ago and of course adding her own twist to the recipe.

We were lucky enough to receive a gluten free gingerbread tray bake from Horsham Gingerbread to sample, the packaging was simple and effective – with details of a historical past. The gingerbread itself was delicious with warmth coming from the ginger with every bite, followed by a sweet citrus flavour and nutty texture, leaving me wanting more… for the gluten free recipe Lesley used Gluten Free Rolled Oats, Muscovado Sugar, Salted Butter, Black Treacle, Candied Orange & Lemon Peel, Linseed Meal, Cornflour, Ground Ginger.

We also had the pleasure of trying one of their gluten free biscuit range ‘Spicy Sussex Alberts’ sweet and spicy gluten free biscuits for cheese – I love the packaging with a creative calligraphy writing as a backdrop. The biscuit was crisp with a crumbly mouthfeel – buttery oat with hints of cayenne pepper, every bite led to more and I had almost finished the packet – it also goes well with tea! I love dunking biscuits in tea, especially the ‘Spicy Sussex’ as it enhanced each flavour.

I like that they have kept their flavour combinations traditional but also with a slight twist. To create this fine specimen, Horsham Gingerbread used these ingredients – salted butter, muscovado sugar, cornflour, gluten free oat flour, gluten free oat bran, black treacle, raising agent, sea salt, allspice and cayenne pepper. [believe it or not cayenne pepper was popular in the 19th century kitchen].

They also have other gluten free biscuits ‘Almond & Dark Chocolate’, ‘Orange & Dark Chocolate’, ‘Sussex Gingerbread Thins’, ‘Sussex Honey Alberts’, ‘Sussex Lemon Puddle Thins’, ‘Sussex Honey Alberts’ and a ‘Twelfth Nights’ which all sound delicious!

I loved every bite of these products from the fiery gingerbread to the oaty sweetness of the biscuits – they both screamed originality. Horsham Gingerbread have done a great job creating flavours from the past, which excited my tastebuds, as the gingerbread I’ve tried aren’t as flavoursome and doesn’t pack a punch. They do offer the original recipe for gingerbread, but they are extremely careful when creating the non gluten free products by creating them on separate days.

In order to enjoy their distinctive bakes they have made life easier for us by making deliveries free of charge when purchasing online [UK only].

*Disclosure: The products in this review was provided by Horsham Gingerbread on a complimentary basis.