It’s that time of year again, when snow falls (we hope), stockings are hung and apparently gingerbread houses are actually edible – or so it seems that way in Naberth, where an real life gingerbread cafe in Pembrokeshire has now become a community treasure trove. Returning for a second year, local cafe Stopio has gone all out to create a larger than life edible gingerbread house that you can sit in.
The jaw-dropping piece of art is the creation of every child’s and adult’s dream and is a short walk from the high street located in a quaint corner of Narbeth. Stopio sells tea, and coffee, and of course a wide selection of delectable items on the menu.
Stopio chef Karl Jones-Hughes said: “Our menu at the moment is a breakfast and brunch menu. Christmas specials include the ultimate turkey toastie and turkey and ham rolls and chocolate and pistachio pinecones.”
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It’s not every day you see a cafe made from gingerbread!
This year the cafe has certainly helped people get into the Christmas spirit thanks to Karl who started the larger-than-life edible project back in November, making the gingerbread and decorations from scratch. He said: “We made all the decorations by hand, including the gingerbread and the candycanes. I decided to start making the gingerbread piles and then moved onto all the decorative shapes; the gingerbread man, the snowman, the stars and the Rice Crispy roof tiles. I made a batch of it a little bit every day, then[at the end of November] we closed due to having new equipment fitted in the kitchen. In that time we assembled the gingerbread and the decorations together and it took two full days!”
Karl spoke enthusiastically about his vision and teased potential plans to make the gingerbread house even bigger next year with the possibility of “moving features”. This year, there is also a magical postbox where children can post their letters to Santa.
The Christmas attraction initially started as a community-inspired project to encourage the Christmas spirit and create a feel-good factor for locals. It is now extending that community spirit to raise money for the homeless community within the area.
Karl said: “People can post donations into the gingerbread house for a homeless charity called Pembrokeshire Action for the Homeless.” He hopes that the project represents Christmas for all in the community.
For those wondering how the the gingerbread house is made, it is a special recipe designed for decorative display, meaning it is much firmer than your traditional gingerbread biscuit, but it’s safe to say it looks delicious.