Ginger Bread: A sweet ending for a holiday meal or a perfect snack on the way

This morning, while sopping up an interview with Nigella Lawson on the radio, I was trying to work out a menu for our Christmas celebration.
Our family has quite the collection of picky eaters. I won't eat meat. One won't eat mushrooms. Another won't eat asparagus.
The simplest thing would be to get a ham (for the carnivores) and serve it with twice baked potatoes and be done with it. Oh wait, there's one who despises cheese.
Ms. Lawson, my favorite of the domestic goddesses, suggests that we have to provide dining pleasures for all of our guests. Desserts are always a safe bet in that arena. So, I'll make a little of this and a little of that for everyone, but I want to make a simple yet spectacular dish.
She concluded her Christmas dinner suggestions on the radio with a recipe for ginger bread. Who doesn't love gingerbread? Warm and sticky with memories attached to cold snowy mornings and a slight taste of the tropics.
This is actual ginger bread, not the sort of thing from which you can cut cute little men or ladies with a cookie cutter. This is soft, a bit sticky and meant to be eaten at the table with a fork.
So off I went for a practice run...I like to taste things before I offer them to my guests. And, I had to translate the weights and measures into American amounts - often an inaccurate translation. The result was pretty and tasty so I believe I made the exchanges well.
Sticky Gingerbread
6 ounces of butter
8 ounces of honey or golden syrup
8 ounces of molasses
4 ounces of brown sugar
2 teaspoons of ginger, finely grated
1 teaspoon of ground ginger
1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of ground cloves
1 teaspoon of baking soda, dissolved in 2 tablespoons of warm water.
8 ounces of milk (apparently, full fat milk is best)
2 eggs, beaten
1 1/2 cups of flour

  • Preheat the oven to 350º and line an ovenproof dish (9-by-12) with foil or baking parchment (if using foil, grease it too).
  • In a saucepan, melt the butter over low heat along with the sugar, honey, the molasses, the fresh and the ground gingers, the cinnamon and the cloves.
  • Take the pan off the heat, and add the milk, the eggs and the dissolved baking soda in its water.
  • Measure the flour into a bowl and pour in the liquid ingredients, beating until well mixed. It will be a very liquid batter, so don’t worry. This is part ofwhat makes it sticky later.
  • Pour it into the prepared pan and bake for 45–60 minutes until risen and firm on top.
  • Transfer the pan to a wire rack and let the gingerbread cool before cutting it.
  • I like to add sliced mango on top of mine, but that's entirely up to you.
Vegetarian

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