VIDEORECIPE How to make a homemade gingerbread Christmas tree?

Melt the butter, sugar and syrup together in a medium saucepan, stirring occasionally, then remove from the heat.

Sieve the flour, bicarbonate of soda and ginger into a bowl and stir the melted ingredients into the dry ingredients to make a stiff dough. Turn out onto a lightly floured surface and roll to a thickness of 5 mm.

Stamp out 6 of the smallest star shapes, 4 of each of the remaining star shapes, 8 of the 3 cm rounds and 10 of the 2cm rounds. Transfer to the lined baking sheets, leaving plenty of space between each biscuit. Return to the fridge for 10 minutes until firm.

Bake in the preheated oven to 170°C for 15 minutes until they’re a light golden brown, then transfer to a wire rack and leave to cool.

Mix the icing sugar and egg white until smooth. Then, spoon it into a piping bag.

To assemble a tree, use the icing to stick one of the largest round biscuits onto the centre of one of the largest stars. Continue to build layers, descending in size, saving one of the smallest stars for the top.

Coat the smallest star with icing then uses a little icing to stand it on top of the tree. Brush the tips of the stars with a little water then dust them with icing sugar. Enjoy!