The holiday season is just about here, and with it comes a whooooole lot of excess. Case in point: The most expensive gingerbread house in the world costs a whopping $78,000 — and that doesn’t even include the delivery fee. Merry Christmas? Or… something?
Offered by VeryFirstTo, a site that specializes in luxury goods and experiences, the gingerbread house in question consists of an incredibly specific list of ingredients. With such items as Bacheldre Mill Flour, Echire Butter, and Steenbergs Ginger, the resulting house is terribly high quality and mostly organic; I’d also like to take this moment to grant some bonus points to the flour company for decorating part of their website with Gromit from Wallace and Gromit. What really amps the price up, though, isn’t the stuff that goes into the gingerbread — it’s the stuff that goes on the gingerbread. It’s topped with 150 AAAA grade South Sea Pearls and a five carat unheated Mozambique Ruby. Oh, and did I mention that each house is bespoke and created in the image of the recipient’s own home? Because it is. You heard me: You can actually eat a miniature replica of your house. If, y'know, that's your thing.
Naturally, such an extravagant creation would require the hands of an equally extravagant pastry chef to make it; as such, VeryFirstTo has pulled in Georgia Green, the Le Cordon Bleu-trained owner of Georgia’s Cakes. Green has hitherto been known mostly for jacket-shaped cake she created for the launch of Cara Delevigne’s DKNY collection. Said the pastry chef to Luxury Trump, “I am so excited to be creating this incredibly precious, never done before culinary innovation. I love working with gingerbread and the gems just add such a cool element.” I suppose at least it’s partially for a good cause: In the event the house is purchased, a £1,000 donation — roughly $1,570 — goes to The Prince’s trust. $1,570 seems kind of like small potatoes in comparison with the house’s astronomical price tag, but hey, it’s not nothin’.
If you want one in time for Christmas (and if you have the money to burn), UK customers must place their orders by December 10 — and while VeryFirstTo doesn’t exactly specify that they won’t deliver internationally, it’s not going to be easy to get one if you don’t live across the pond. Says the website, “International orders subject to additional courier charges and the specific country’s food import regulations. Please check these before ordering as we do not accept responsibility for undeliverable international orders.”
For the curious, here are a few other things $78,000 can buy:
1. Several Years’ Salary
If you make $39,000 a year, this gingerbread house costs two years’ salary — pre-tax.
2. This House in Pleasantville, NJ
It’s small — two bedrooms and one and a half baths — but still. For the price of this gingerbread house, you can buy an actual house.
3. 27 Months’ Rent in a One-Bedroom Apartment at the Brooklyner
One of Brooklyn’s more luxurious (read: expensive) options, the Brooklyner has one-bedrooms starting at $2,840 per month.
4. More than 6,000 Wilton Gingerbread House Kits
That’s a lot of gingerbread houses.
5. More than 6,000 Copies of the Board Game Candy Land
Both Candy Land and those gingerbread house kits clock in at $12.99 apiece.
6. 222 Oculus Rifts
A $350 piece of gaming equipment seems like a steal after a $78,000 gingerbread house, doesn’t it?
Images: VeryFirstTo; Giphy (7)
