Sarah Nelson's Grasmere Gingerbread & Rum Butter

As I mentioned before, we didn't buy Grasmere Gingerbread when we were in Grasmere because there was a long waiting line in front of the shop. That didn't mean that we couldn't have the famous Gingerbread at all. We live in the Internet world! The shop has an online store and ships gingerbread to your door! J placed an order when we came back to the cottage at the late afternoon of that day. The next day we came back home, and the next day a box of gingerbread arrived at home! It took only two days.

The Grasmere Gingerbread was delightful. It wasn't as sweet as Bettys Yorkshire Gingerbread, and somewhat lighter (perhaps less butter). It was very ginger-y but didn't give me a sharp spicy kick as Bettys did. Instead, I found a hint of another spice in the Grasmere Gingerbread. Nutmeg, perhaps? The tin contained twelve gingerbread. The gingerbread needed to store in the refrigerator, so it was better to warm it up quickly in the oven so that the gingerbread would get soften.  The gingerbread was fresh and should be enjoyed within a week. No problem at all! 

J also added Traditional Cumberland Rum Butter in the order. Rum was brought into the ports of West Cambria from the West Indies, and rum butter, also known as hard sauce, appeared in the area at least in the 18th century, according to the shop. There are a few different legends about who invented rum butter - a drunken sailer, pirates, and etc. 

The ingredients were sugar, butter and Demerara rum. Simple. Hence, it was sweet, spreadable and rum-y! We had some with fruit sourdough, which tasted like rum raisin ice cream. Yummy!