TIME FOR DELICIOUS DECORATIONS: BISCUITEERS

BISCUITEERS

Some artists take decoration extremely seriously. Culinary artists are serious both about the look and taste of their decorative works.

Biscuiteers is right up there at the top of the heap. This London based cookie boutique, co-founded by Harriet Hastings and husband, Stevie Congdon, goes all out on its beautifully embellished sweets.

Biscuiteers out did itself, and most others, when it created an elaborately designed gingerbread

house as a reproduction of Waddesdon Manor. The fanciful baking company reproduces other iconic buildings in sweet landscapes for holiday shop windows, such as the ones the do for Selfridges. All of their constructions are 100% edible and delicious.

The Waddesdon Manor confectionary construction took 500 hours, 65 pounds of butter and sugar, 240 eggs, and 475 pounds of icing to make.

Waddesdon Manor is a French Renaissance-style chateau in Buckinghamshire, England, built for Baron Ferdinand de Rothschild in 1874 to house his massive art collection, including some of the finest privately owned English portraits and French decorative arts.

Biscuiteers’ expert icers Serena and Lorena began with a set of drawing technical drawings for the 6-foot long gingerbread structure.

The manor itself is full of rich decorative details, including its furniture, furnishings, and frames for its important collection of paintings paintings. Many were modelled in gingerbread and hand-iced in meticulous detail.

The Biscuiteers captured the intricate, fairy-tale character of the buildings and interiors in their decorative confectionary.

See this video showing how the Waddesdon Manor gingerbread house was made.  

Waddesdon was a strategic choice for Biscuiteers to copy. IRL, it has had a long tradition of celebrating table decorations, featuring gorgeous ornate 18th-century porcelain and silver dinner and dessert services.

While the Biscuiteers Waddesdon Gingerbread House is no longer on display at the Coach House gallery at the Stables at Waddesdon Manor, photos are still inspiring. We hope it inspires the sweets boutique to plan another major decorative reproduction for next year.

And, if it inspires you to make your own, check out Biscuiteers DIY Kits. They come with pre-baked gingerbread house pieces, royal icing sugar, piping bags and an assortment of delicious decorations. Beautifully packaged, with easy-to-follow instructions it’s the perfect antidote to a wintry afternoon. It can add some beauty to your “hygge” (the Danish art of getting cozy) -- here’s some cozy holiday cocktails to inspire you further.

If you happen to be in London, check out Biscuiteers Boutiques for their drop-in icing cafes, children’s icing parties, or their London Afternoon Tea for Two.

And check out Biscuiteers School of Icing, where you can be taught by expert icers to ice like a Biscuiteer.

Wherever you are this season, you can get the look by checking out “The Biscuiteers Book of Iced Biscuits” book.

If you can’t get to the shop, browse Biscuiteers Christmas catalogues for mail order deliveries of their decorate delights.

Read more about Beautiful Decorations in  Over-The-Top Destination Christmas Trees,  Time to Decorate Somebody! Mesmerizing Neon Mandalas by James Stanford, 10 Swoon-Worthy New Design & Decorating Books and Flower Power Decorating: Mark Colle.

And check out more beautiful things happening now in BN Mind/Body, Soul/Impact, Nature/Science, Food/Drink, Arts/Design, and Place/Time, Daily Fix posts.

Want more stories like this? Sign up for our weekly BN Newsletter, Like us on Facebook. Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, Pinterest, Tumblr. Join our BeautifulNow Community and connect with the most beautiful things happening in the world right now!

Do you have amazing photos? Enter them in this week’s BN Photo Contest. We run new creative contest every week!

IMAGE CREDITS:

1. Image: by David Farquhar. “Waddesdon Gingerbread House.”
2. Image: “Waddesdon Manor” gingerbread house. Courtesy of Biscuiteers Baking Company.
3. Image: “Dining Room, Waddesdon Manor.” Courtesy of National Trust, Waddesdon Manor. Buckinghamshire, England.
4. Image: by David Farquhar. “Waddesdon Gingerbread House.”
5. Image: Detailed view of “Waddesdon Manor” gingerbread house. Courtesy of Biscuiteers Baking Company.
6. Image: by David Farquhar. “Waddesdon Gingerbread House.”
7. Image: “DIY Gingerbread Kit.” Courtesy of Biscuiteers Baking Company.
8. Image: “Biscuiteers Boutique & Icing Café.” Courtesy of Biscuiteers Baking Company.
9. Image: Assorted cookies. Courtesy of Biscuiteers Baking Company.
10. Image: Detailed view of “Waddesdon Manor” gingerbread house. Courtesy of Biscuiteers Baking Company.
11. Image: Detailed view of “Waddesdon Manor” gingerbread house. Courtesy of Biscuiteers Baking Company.
12. Image: Detailed view of “Waddesdon Manor” gingerbread house. Courtesy of Biscuiteers Baking Company.
13. Image: “Waddesdon Manor.” Courtesy of Biscuiteers Baking Company.