Grasmere Gingerbread® was first produced by Sarah Nelson in Church Cottage, Grasmere - now The Grasmere Gingerbread Shop - in 1854 and this distinctive confectionery has been made here ever since.

Since current owners Gerald and Margaret Wilson purchased the business in 1969 it has grown into a world-renowned product with an unrivalled provenance.

To protect the reputation and integrity of Grasmere Gingerbread® - which is made from a secret recipe stored in a Cumbrian bank vault - Gerald and Margaret filed to register Grasmere Gingerbread® as a trademark with the Intellectual Property Office (IPO) on February 21st 2006. Whilst some producers of foodstuffs are protected by Protected Designations of Origins (PDO’s) and Protected Geographical Indications (PGI’s) because they conform to certain local standards, the IPO agreed with the application on the grounds of its “distinctiveness acquired through use” at a hearing on April 18^th 2007. The IPO approved the trademark on December 16^th 2008. The IPO trademark legally safeguards this unique Cumbrian product from unscrupulous third persons who might otherwise attempt to pass off inferior imitations as Grasmere Gingerbread®.