Happy New Year…
I appreciate that some people are still suffering the aftereffects of Storm Goretti which blasted most of the country at the start of 2026.
Grasmere Lake pictured from Loughrigg Beach
Luckily - believe it or not- the Lake District avoided the worst of the storm with only a light covering of snow. However, some higher altitude freezing prevented one team member – lovely Julie – getting into work as her family live at Selside near Kendal. If you ever travel on the West Coast Railway through the distinctive Howgill fells near the village of Shap you will pass close to her idyllic rural home.
London to South Lakes via the West Coast line is just over 2.5 hours journey time
Despite the current severe snows, my childhood winters in Grasmere seemed fiercer. Fifty years ago, we often woke to a winter wonderland – a panoramic whiteout that blanketed the countryside. I loved crunching through thick virgin snow and looking back on my footprints.
St.Oswald's Church, in the heart of Grasmere
and next to The Grasmere Gingerbread Shop
Everyone dug out their paths and salted the pavements while council snowploughs generated huge roadside mountains of snow. Car tyres crushed snow into icy tracks which we skidded along, laughing and screaming at our daring. At night, road lamps made everything glisten turning Grasmere into a magical ‘Narina winter’ and I would pretend to be an ice dancer on the icy flattened ground.
Skating on Windermere (pictured in 1925)
At daybreak, nothing prevented farmers spreading hay bales for stock in the fields and we happily raced to school, pelting each other with snowballs. Wrapped up in warm coats, gloves, scarves and hats, we loved break times – rolling out huge snow balls and creating fantastic snowmen with sticks for arms and stones for eyes and pebbles on imagined coats.
On our reluctant return to the classroom, the scene was not so pristine – pools of icy water on the floor and gloves, scarves and hats steaming on roasting radiators. Back then, the snow lasted for many days until the temperatures rose and our beloved white snow turned slushy and brown. Soon, our wintery wonderland was no more but I still yearned to become an ice dancer and build a rink in the Lake District to realise my glistening dream…
My old school - Grasmere C of E School
On the subject of snow and ice, did you know that gingerbread was consumed with gin at ‘frost fairs’ in the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries? In this Little Ice Age, the Great Frost of 1683-84 was the most severe ever recorded and London’s River Thames froze for two months, down to a thickness of 11 inches. Opportunistic vendors set up booths on the icy platform and people played football and nine-pin bowling, gambled on horse and coach racing and enjoyed fantastic puppet plays. They even took to their skates…
To ward off the cold, stallholders sold hot coffee, black tea and ale but the most famous beverage was hot gin – often spiced – served with gingerbread. Of course, we all know that ginger warms the blood (hence its reputed aphrodisiacal property).
Never eaten Grasmere Gingerbread® warm? Just put the slices you intend to eat on a baking tray and place in a moderate oven for a few minutes. The gentle heat invigorates the ginger and it will literally melt in your mouth. Full instructions for warming Grasmere Gingerbread® and its keeping qualities may be found on our lovely parchment wrapping.
A full list of recipe ideas may be found at….
Recipes | Grasmere Gingerbread
Stay warm and dry.
Best wishes for 2026.
