Amateur baker recreates Ely Cathedral in gingerbread
An amateur baker has recreated a medieval cathedral in his kitchen...from gingerbread!
Owen Angier, 23 from Littleport, Cambridgeshire, said it took him a whole day to plan, bake and piece together the baked replica of Ely Cathedral.
However, he said he won't be eating it himself as he he doesn't like the taste.
Mr Angier said: "I’d never made anything this grand before, and I knew I really wanted to challenge myself with a big bake this year.
"I’d considered doing an 'Emerald city' bake inspired by the new Wicked movie but green-gingerbread didn’t quite have an appeal.
"It was then quite obvious to choose Ely Cathedral, being so local and such a beautiful building with so much architectural detail, it was the perfect challenge.
"I think there’s so much to be gained from looking at the beauty that surrounds us, and celebrating our local area and it’s history."
The 60cm structure was a labour of love for the apprentice nurse who works at Addenbrooke's Hospital in Cambridge.
"I had to plan it all out, make a board big enough to put it on, make sure I knew how many of each piece I needed to make it all work, then once it got to baking it took a while to get everything through the oven, cooled and put together," he said.
He said the most time consuming part was piping on all of the Cathedral's details.
"On build day I was in the kitchen in the morning and didn’t stop going until about 9.30pm in the evening - I was very in the zone," said Mr Angier.
For such a complicated bake with numerous elements, Mr Angier is confident it will remain intact until it's eaten.
"I used hot sugar to stick everything together so it’s relatively sturdy. It was a bit fiddly trying to put the octagon together though - eight sides all sticking together at the right angles."
Bizzarely, though, the baker is not a fan of the taste of gingerbread so won't be partaking in eating his creation.
He says he intends to share it among his colleagues at the hospital.
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