Horsham’s gingerbread history rediscovered

Food historian Sam Bilton has uncovered the gingerbread history of Horsham, her former home town, as part of her research into the Christmas treat.
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The literary world had long known of Horsham gingerbread, as the first letter poet Percy Bysshe Shelley is known to have written was asking his Aunt Kate to bring some from a Horsham fair to have as a picnic treat at Warnham Pond.

However, the town seemed to have forgotten its own gingerbread history until Horsham Museum curator Jeremy Knight was asked about it some years ago.

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And now Sam, a former Horsham resident, has completed months of research about the history of this fascinating Christmas treat and published a new book, First Catch your Gingerbread.

Gingerbread stand at the fair, 1833, an etching by Scottish artist Walter GeikieGingerbread stand at the fair, 1833, an etching by Scottish artist Walter Geikie
Gingerbread stand at the fair, 1833, an etching by Scottish artist Walter Geikie

Jeremy said: “For centuries, people have indulged in, snacked on and even licked gold leaf off the humble gingerbread but never before has anyone produced such a detailed study of this popular delicacy.

“So popular is it that virtually every season of The Great British Bake Off, there is a challenge to make something out of gingerbread.

“Although Sam had lived in Horsham, it isn’t surprising that she didn’t realise the town had its own gingerbread history, for it wasn’t until nine years ago that the town rediscovered its ginger roots after 90 years of being forgotten.

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“The remarkable history of Horsham and its gingerbread and the modern version is folded in, as molasses are to the oats and citrus peel, to create a delightful story of the gingerbread in Sam’s new book.”

Sam Bilton has researched the story of gingerbread and Horsham’s part in this Christmas delicacySam Bilton has researched the story of gingerbread and Horsham’s part in this Christmas delicacy
Sam Bilton has researched the story of gingerbread and Horsham’s part in this Christmas delicacy

Jeremy said Lesley Ward, the former owner of the popular Horsham Cheese Shop, had contacted him to ask if he knew anything about Horsham gingerbread and from that email sprang 18 months of research, tasting, trials and errors.

Although Shelley, who was born in Horsham, had asked for gingerbread and the town had been well known for it, the recipe was lost when the last gingerbread maker died in 1913 and his moulds, and other local moulds, were given to Brighton Museum.

Jeremy said: “Such a literary connection is apt, for Sam’s book is full of literary references to gingerbread spanning the centuries, born out of years of research in the British Library.”

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As his research continued, Jeremy came across a manuscript in 2009 at an international bookfair in London. Owned by a distant aunt of Shelley, this contained the family recipe for gingerbread.

The cover of Sam’s book, First Catch your GingerbreadThe cover of Sam’s book, First Catch your Gingerbread
The cover of Sam’s book, First Catch your Gingerbread

Lesley was able to adapt this Regency recipe to create a new Horsham gingerbread that has been sold across southern England.

The museum, which is run by Horsham District Council, has managed to borrow back from Brighton the remarkable collection of gingerbread moulds given in 1917 and has created a fascinating display for summer 2021.

Jeremy said: “Included in that was a 17th century Ming ginger jar from China and it, along with the moulds and a table used to sell gingerbread, will feature in the new display when the museum re-opens.

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“Thanks to the research by Sam, that display will now include the wider and more historical story, one regaled with flair and passion in Sam’s book, as it tells the remarkable story of gingerbread and Horsham’s part in a truly international delicacy that spans thousand years or more.

“We will include some of the fascinating detail Sam has discovered that makes Horsham gingerbread part of a European story spanning the millennia. Until then, the public can enjoy the Horsham gingerbread available at a number of farm shops and garden centres, and partake in it while enjoying the book available from bookshops.”