The gingerbread town

Russell Higham heads to Ormskirk in Lancashire to discover more about how a British delicacy has taken root here for almost 300 years

You could say that Ormskirk, in north-west England, is the closest you can get to a town made of gingerbread. No, the buildings aren’t made from the deliciously spicy baked treat that’s thought to have originated in Ancient Greece and brought to Europe by monks in the 10th century – as sweet as that might sound, this isn’t a fairytale! But it does run through the very heart of this scenic Lancashire town – whose name, it’s believed, comes from that of an old Viking settler, Orm (meaning snake or serpent) – and features prominently in the last three centuries of its fascinating history. As early as 1732, there are records of bakers and confectioners in Ormskirk making gingerbread from secret recipes passed down through generations. Sellers, who were nearly…

You're reading a preview of

Discover Britain (Digital) - 1 Issue, April - May - 2025

DiscountMags is a licensed distributor (not a publisher) of the above content and Publication through Zinio LLC. Accordingly, we have no editorial control over the Publications. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including those made in Publications offered on our website, are those of the respective author(s) or publisher(s) and not of DiscountMags. DiscountMags does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness, or usefulness of all or any portion of any publication or any services or offers made by third parties, nor will we be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on information contained in any Publication, or your use of services offered, or your acceptance of any offers made through the Service or the Publications. For content removal requests, please contact Zinio.