Let’s face it, gingerbread houses are as much a part of Christmas as the Christmas tree itself, or Love Actually. However, you’ve probably found that your plans for a Grand Designs-style gingerbread mansion remain a sad pipe dream. Certainly our own gingerbread construction attempts often end with failures that would break your average Bake Off contestant. Well, no more. A delightful (and no doubt delicious) gingerbread city has popped up in Westfield White City this December and January, so it’s time to declare yourself the Mayor of Candytown. Are you ginger-bready for it?
Honestly, this is Pure Christmas Goals. The Gingerbread City is run by the Museum of Architecture, and this year enters its seventh year of confectionary-based building and display. As they grow, they’re thinking bigger too, as they’re not just bringing one gingerbread city to London, but five miniature cities, across five different climate zones. The miniature gingerbread cities will set forth an idea for what living could look like in Polar, Continental, Temperate, Dry, and Tropical climates.
Over 50 architects, engineers, and designers have used their architectural know-how, and baking genius, to create the visionary cities. Biscuits, cakes, icing, strawberry laces, and sweets will all be employed to create a range of buildings “from thermal springs and research centres, linear parks and skyscrapers, to market squares, terraced houses, and biophilic buildings“. Last year, there were even five moving trains and two cable cars running through the whole affair. Yeah, they’re not quite the cookie-cutter gingerbread houses that typically come to mind, are they?
Behind The Gingerbread City
More than just a visual spectacular, the tasty models double as a working blueprint for cities of the future, championing sustainability and innovation as architects show off their plans for what living could look like. Truly, a noble mission to bake the world a better place, one which has us wishing we were architects right now.
Hansel and Gretel would have a field day here, that’s for sure. Plus, if inspiration strikes, they run gingerbread-house-building workshops every day during the exhibit’s run – as well as the chance to make cookies which look like Christmas trees. Fancy the chance at bringing your own candy wonderland to life under the watchful eye of their resident master builders? We’ll be along just as soon as we finish daydreaming about turning Secret London HQ into a giant gingerbread house, complete with outdoor market, rooftop terrace, and pop-up bar, of course.
The Gingerbread City will run from December 2 – January 7 at various different times. Find it at Westfield London at White City/Shepherds Bush, across from the NEXT clothing store on ‘LEVEL 0’. Head to the website to grab your tickets.