A team of busy young builders put four popular gingerbread house kits to the test.
Four kids. Four gingerbread houses. This team of sugar-thumbed builders undertake the test of constructing the best gingerbread house – so which kit reigns supreme?
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A little patience – and a lot of icing – are key to a successful gingerbread house, a test by four sugar-thumbed young builders has found.
With Christmas drawing near, we asked kids to rate three supermarket kits under $15 – from Woolworths, Coles and Aldi – as well as one from department store David Jones for their ease of build, looks and taste.
Ikea’s popular kit couldn’t be included because they arrived from the North Pole shattered this year and are unavailable.
Time was of the essence for this test – the group was given a mere hour to build – and it became clear early that the simpler the design, the higher the chance of completion.
An early crack in the roof spelt disaster for Coles. A little extra glue (icing) and time could have salvaged gingerbread carpenter Luca D’Aloia’s construction.
Positives for the design included a plastic frame on which the house could sit steadily, and a tip on the ready-made icing bag making it easier to pipe.
“We make a house probably every second year,” Luca, 11, said, describing it as “yum”.
Unfortunately the panels of his designated Coles design kept sliding and, once the roof cracked, the only option was to eat the gingerbread instead.
Lilly Schipper almost made it to the finish line with her Woolworths kit, which had the same traditional four walls and pitched roof. Bonus points went to the choice of lollies, which added to its festive look.
Alas, the roof collapsed just before Santa (aka Brad Fleet) took the group shot.
“I think if we put it in the fridge for a while it would have set,” Lilly, 10, said, adding that the activity was “lots of fun”. The last houses standing were the simpler, teepee-shapes by David Jones and Aldi.
Trent Farrell, 11, rated his David Jones design an 8/10, saying it was “easy to make and tasted good”.
But it was the Aldi design which, despite being the only one needing separately made icing, ticked all the boxes for the crew. It was the fastest put together – by Lilly’s younger sister, Ruby – and passed the budding elves’ taste test.
“I love how it tastes and it was very easy to put together,” Ruby, 7, said.
So if time is on your side, all kits provide plenty of sweet fun, but for those in a rush, opt for the A-shape.
