Last year my dad bought one of those gingerbread house kits from that well known Scandinavian shop. He was really excited to make it for all the tiddlers in the family. He got home, opened up the kit and inside were the sides and the roof. That was it. None of the decorations were in the box, and forgive me for thinking so, but I do think if something being sold as a kit then the vast majority of the components need to be there. He went and spent £15 on the icing sugar and decorations for the gingerbread house.

Oh and because the pieces were so hard and brittle and the flimsy box had been on a big crate, one of the sides was broken. He wasn't a happy bunny.

We've recently been sent this gingerbread house kit (by Bespoke Foods) to review:

A 'kit' it is indeed, because everything you see in the picture is included in the box. I mean everything; the soft and thick gingerbread, the icing sugar (pre-mixed in a piping bag, snip off the end to use), smarties and even a little sugarcraft Father Christmas to put on the porch!

This would be a marvellous activity for your not-so-little ones to do in the run-up to Christmas; I suspect that Mr. TheBoyandMe and I will have great fun making the house for The Boy to decorate. And on Christmas Day (if it lasts that long), it's going to taste delicious as we do an impression of the Big Bad Wolf.

We were also sent Bespoke Foods Gingerbread Man kit and didn't waste any time in decorating Gingy. The Boy had the most fabulous time, although he did need help to squeeze the icing out.

Christmas is also a time to spend playing board games with your family. Usually these end up in sulking and tantrums, and that's just from the grandparents. What if the game you were playing involved chocolate counters? Bespoke Foods have a range of traditional family board games involving chocolate money or counters, Twister is just one of them.

"For family fun that will tie even the most flexible up in knots, Twister’s Chocolate Edition adds a sweeter dimension to Christmas. Perfect for parties of all ages, the rules are easy – pick your move, twist and win chocolate!"

With the festive season fast approaching, Bespoke Foods’ traditional gifts are the perfect stocking fillers to add a creative twist to your Christmas shopping list.

Chocolate Twister (RRP from £10.00), Gingerbread House Kit (RRP from £12.50) and Gingerbread Man (RRP from £6) are available to purchase from a range of department and independent stores (Debenhams, House of Fraser, Heals, Bentalls, Selfridges and Amazon)

We were sent these items for the purpose of the review. My opinion is honest and unbiased.