Gingerbread houses are one of the most charming Christmas foods. Whether they’re exquisitely built or the wonky work of happy kids, they don’t fail to elicit smiles and nods of approval. Find out everything you need to make your own here.

There are two types of gingerbread – the soft, cake-like variety (pictured) and the hard biscuit form. Gingerbread houses are made from the tougher variety so they’re sturdy enough to hold up. It benefits from being left overnight to harden before it’s decorated.

In this simple recipe, the gingerbread mix consists of butter, brown sugar, egg yolks, bicarbonate of soda, ground ginger and golden syrup. Royal icing made from sugar, egg whites and lemon juice is used as cement and decoration, and various types of candy to adorn the house.

You will need mixing bowls, wooden spoons, a rolling pin, baking paper, several baking trays, a sharp knife, a wire rack, an electric mixer, a small piping bag with nozzles, and a wooden, slate or cake board to sit the house on.

A template is a must because it will help to build the house with accuracy. Make one out of paper or light cardboard and use a sharp knife for straight edges.

Gingerbread dough is quite firm and, once baked, is sturdy enough to build a house with. Avoid rolling it too thin as it may become too brittle after being cooked. Use a template to cut out shapes and a sharp knife for clean edges. Do this step before baking as it’s easier to slice through raw dough. Any leftover raw dough can be re-rolled for other decorations or frozen.

Lay the dough pieces on a baking tray in preparation for baking (tip: placing the dough on baking paper will help to stop it sticking). The oven temperature may vary a little depending on which recipe you use but as a general rule, gingerbread is baked in a moderately hot oven (around 180°C/fan 160°C/gas mark 4) for around 15 minutes. It doesn't need long because it’s not very thick.

There are a couple of ways to make beautiful, edible stained glass windows. One is to create a sugar syrup which is a longer process. The other is to crush coloured boiled sweets and either melt them down in a pan and pour into the window openings of the house walls (which should be laid on baking paper), or sprinkle directly in the gaps to melt in the oven while the dough is baking.

Let the gingerbread cool completely on a wire rack then put the pieces in a Tupperware box between layers of baking paper. Leave overnight. This gives the gingerbread time to become crisp and hard so it’s less likely to break and more likely to stay up when you build the house.

Royal icing is the best ‘glue’ or cement for sticking gingerbread together because when mixed together, its components – icing sugar, egg whites and lemon juice – set hard. Some bakers may do it slightly differently so refer to your chosen recipe. Keep royal icing covered in plastic wrap in the fridge and let it come to room temperature before using.

This depends on the design you’ve chosen but if it’s a simple house, start by joining the four walls together with icing. Do this on a wooden, slate or cake board. Putting a bowl or something solid inside the build will help to hold up the walls while the icing dries.

After the walls have set hard, you can add the roof. A thick layer of icing is recommended to keep it in place. Placing solid objects such as glasses or tins against the walls will help to keep it in place while it dries. Allow to dry completely (preferably overnight) before adding any decoration.

If you’re decorating with royal icing, it can be easier to do this step on a flat surface before you assemble. If you’re only using icing as cement and to stick on decorations then the house can be built first.

Icing is key to a successful gingerbread house because it serves as decoration as well as cement. There’s no need to stick to white: you can use different coloured icing. After that it’s up to you but fondant icing (also called sugar paste) and confectionery can turn the house into something magical – think candy canes, jelly sweets, boiled sweets, silver balls, sugar-coated chocolate such as Smarties or M&Ms, chocolate buttons and liquorice. You can also use nuts, pretzels and sugared almonds.

For a suitably wintry look, make hanging icicles from icing. The secret is to get the consistency of the royal icing right - it needs to have the thickness of toothpaste. Alternatively, buy ready-to-use decorator’s icing. The nozzle or opening on the piping bag should be 2ml or 5ml depending on the size of the icicles.

Don’t forget to decorate the board around the house. Use white fondant icing for a snow-covered floor, make and decorate gingerbread trees and people, create snowmen from marshmallows, and a path up the house from chocolate sprinkles. For freshly fallen snow, sprinkle dry icing sugar over the whole board using a fine sieve.

Christmas is a busy time so it’s perfectly acceptable to buy a shop-bought kit to assemble and decorate. Ikea, Lakeland and most large supermarkets sell kits or you can buy one on Amazon.

Place a battery-operated tea light inside the house to infuse it with a warm glow. This looks especially lovely if you’ve added stained glass windows. Don’t use a real candle because it will scorch your creation.

Gingerbread houses can be left out during the day and covered in plastic at night to keep dust, insects and moisture at bay. If you’re planning on using the house for show and you’re not going to eat it, spray it with clear lacquer (available from craft stores) to keep it looking good for up to a year.

Gingerbread houses and the candy décor becomes staler, harder and less flavourful the longer they’re left. As a decoration they’ll be fine for the duration of Christmas but if you want to eat it, do so within a week. One option is to make gingerbread people and Christmas trees to go around the house and eat, but spray the house with non-edible clear lacquer to maintain it.

Why stick to a house? You can be as creative as you like with gingerbread shapes. For example, make many smaller houses to build a village.

If you are partial to a nautical theme, turn your house into a lighthouse with its own boat.

A gingerbread display doesn’t have to be a building. It can be a vehicle such as a train, car, pick-up truck or boat.

Make a gingerbread clock with an iced clock face or if you’re feeling really adventurous, use a real clock face attached to a motor for a working clock encased in gingerbread.

Gingerbread has been eaten in some form since antiquity but the first recorded gingerbread figures date back to the 15th century. It went on to be used to create various shapes, saints and talismans. Due, in part, to its hardiness as a material, it became something of an art form in Europe. By the early 1800s, German bakers were fashioning houses in all likelihood inspired, or at least popularised, by the famous fairy tale Hansel and Gretel.

In 2013, the Traditions Club in Bryan, Texas, set a Guinness World Record by building a gingerbread house big enough for a family of five. Assembled by volunteers, it was made from nearly a tonne of butter, 7,200 eggs and thousands of pounds of flour and brown sugar, and contained an eye-watering 35 million calories. The endeavour raised more than $200,000 for a local hospital trauma centre.

For more inspiration and to view some really incredible edibles, check out these stunners.