Ikea Gingerbread House - Yay or Nay?

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So i wemt to Ikea this afternnon for something incredibly dull and functional , which happened to be out of stock and came home with three Gingerbread House kits

I've never made one before. Do they work? What sort of icing is best to stick it together? What kind of decorations would look good? How long do they last once you've made them?

I'm getting excited just thinking about making it .

I've brought one the last 3 years and eaten it out of the box un-iced come January

I think it's best to use royal icing to stick it together (egg whites and icing sugar. Google to find a recipe) and any type of sweets to decorate it.

It does taste lovely though!

instant royal icing is the DB. Stuff comes in a box (purple I think, next to the icing sugar in big supermarkets) - its powdered egg white and icing sugar. Whisk with water for about 5 minutes - makes great snow/cement

ooh fab . Thanks

Will try Royal icing I think, and then let DS(4) loose with the smarties and jelly tots.

I bought one last year, and a big tube of that white icing. It was very fiddly, but good fun, and I have already bough another for this year

Just seen tha you are going to let the children do it - it may be a pile of crumbs before long!

DH and I nearly got divorced trying to make this! The rest of you obviously are not as control freaky have more patience than us.

Your DH was helping you make it

He came in to take over when he heard me having gingerbread rage in the kitchen.

Have you ever seen the Chewing The Fat sketch when the man flies into a violent rage because he's made a huge matchstick boat that collapses as he puts the very last matchstick on? That was me and the Ikea house.