Want to give the kids a DIY gingerbread house project but lack the nerve to deal with the sticky fingers and mess that come with it? Sign them up for a workshop. Over the past few years, hotels in Abu Dhabi and Dubai have started up their own gingerbread house-making traditions and several host classes, some of which also welcome adults.
Abu Dhabi
Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel & Resort
The hotel started its gingerbread house tradition four years ago. The event is always popular and so busy that more than 100 sweets-encrusted gingerbread houses are taken home each year for Christmas by satisfied children and parents.
“The trick is to assist little hands in using the piping bags efficiently and putting the houses together,” says the hotel’s food and beverage manager Kirsty Bryant. “It can get fiddly and messy. The most fun thing is watching the adults get quite absorbed in the building process – they often take over. The older children can really get creative and there are some wonderful houses by the end of the afternoon.”
Santa turns up at the end of the workshop to deliver gifts to the children and then everyone heads to the lobby for the lighting of the Christmas tree and carol singing by the Sheraton staff choir.
The Sheraton Gingerbread Factory will be held in the hotel’s garden area at 4pm on Wednesday, Dh95 per adult and Dh135 per child. Call 02 677 3333.
Shangri-La, Qaryat Al Beri
The Indonesian pastry chef Muhamed Jejen is hosting a class to reveal his secrets for making the perfect gingerbread house. Jejen says that although he had never heard of the tradition of gingerbread at Christmas before he came to the UAE, he has a developed a fondness for the custom. “I think it’s important to have such traditions,” he says. “And I love the smell of gingerbread – it is something distinctive I have come to associate with the holiday season.”
The Shangri-La gingerbread class is on December 21, 10am to noon, Al Nojoom Ballroom, Dh125 per person. Call 02 509 8888.
The Ritz-Carlton Abu Dhabi, Grand Canal
Classes take place in Dolce from 4pm to 6pm every day (except Fridays) until Christmas Eve. Dh150 for children ages 4 to 12 (accompanying adults are free). Call 02 818 8888.
The Westin Golf Resort & Spa
The Lounge has DIY gingerbread house kits to take away for Dh119. Call 02 616 9999.
Crowne Plaza Yas Island
Attend the gingerbread-making fiesta on Sunday from 1.40pm to 4.30pm, Dh150 per house. Call 02 656 3053.
Dubai
Radisson Blu, Deira Creek
The hotel is hosting a gingerbread house event that includes a visit from Santa. Prizes will be given for the best-decorated house. Saturday, from 1.30pm to 4.30pm. Call 04 222 7171.
Bacolod CHK N BBQ House
The Filipino restaurant on Za’abeel Road in Karama is offering a workshop between 6pm and 9pm any day until December 20. Dh50 per gingerbread house kit; buy two kits and get the third for free. You can also buy the kit to make the house at home.
Gingerbread recipe
Make your own gingerbread house from scratch and make sure that your little helpers are on hand. Four hands are better than two, and a solid construction is important. One person holds the sides of the house up while the other pipes “mortar” along the edges. Wait until dry before putting the roof on. Decorate using your choice of sweets (Chef Jejen recommends M&Ms, chocolate snowmen, mint chocolate and snow sugar)
Ingredients
400g butter
500g sugar
1kg flour
15g baking powder
15g ginger powder
500ml honey
500g egg whites
1.2kg icing sugar
Method
Mix the butter and sugar. Add the ginger powder, flour, baking powder and honey. Knead into a dough and refrigerate for a day. Roll out and cut using a template or cutters. Bake at 160ºC for 25 minutes. For the icing, beat the egg whites with the icing sugar until stiff peaks form. (Recipe courtesy Sheraton Abu Dhabi Hotel & Resort.)
artslife@thenational.ae
At a glance
Global events: Much of the UK’s economic woes were blamed on “increased global uncertainty”, which can be interpreted as the economic impact of the Ukraine war and the uncertainty over Donald Trump’s tariffs.
Growth forecasts: Cut for 2025 from 2 per cent to 1 per cent. The OBR watchdog also estimated inflation will average 3.2 per cent this year
Welfare: Universal credit health element cut by 50 per cent and frozen for new claimants, building on cuts to the disability and incapacity bill set out earlier this month
Spending cuts: Overall day-to day-spending across government cut by £6.1bn in 2029-30
Tax evasion: Steps to crack down on tax evasion to raise “£6.5bn per year” for the public purse
Defence: New high-tech weaponry, upgrading HM Naval Base in Portsmouth
Housing: Housebuilding to reach its highest in 40 years, with planning reforms helping generate an extra £3.4bn for public finances
How much do leading UAE’s UK curriculum schools charge for Year 6?
- Nord Anglia International School (Dubai) – Dh85,032
- Kings School Al Barsha (Dubai) – Dh71,905
- Brighton College Abu Dhabi - Dh68,560
- Jumeirah English Speaking School (Dubai) – Dh59,728
- Gems Wellington International School – Dubai Branch – Dh58,488
- The British School Al Khubairat (Abu Dhabi) - Dh54,170
- Dubai English Speaking School – Dh51,269
*Annual tuition fees covering the 2024/2025 academic year
The low down
Producers: Uniglobe Entertainment & Vision Films
Director: Namrata Singh Gujral
Cast: Rajkummar Rao, Nargis Fakhri, Bo Derek, Candy Clark
Rating: 2/5
NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Kumulus Water
Started: 2021
Founders: Iheb Triki and Mohamed Ali Abid
Based: Tunisia
Sector: Water technology
Number of staff: 22
Investment raised: $4 million
COMPANY PROFILE
Company name: Blah
Started: 2018
Founder: Aliyah Al Abbar and Hend Al Marri
Based: Dubai
Industry: Technology and talent management
Initial investment: Dh20,000
Investors: Self-funded
Total customers: 40
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
AndhaDhun
Director: Sriram Raghavan
Producer: Matchbox Pictures, Viacom18
Cast: Ayushmann Khurrana, Tabu, Radhika Apte, Anil Dhawan
Rating: 3.5/5
FIXTURES
All times UAE ( 4 GMT)
Saturday
Fiorentina v Torino (8pm)
Hellas Verona v Roma (10.45pm)
Sunday
Parma v Napoli (2.30pm)
Genoa v Crotone (5pm)
Sassuolo v Cagliari (8pm)
Juventus v Sampdoria (10.45pm)
Monday
AC Milan v Bologna (10.45om)
Playing September 30
Benevento v Inter Milan (8pm)
Udinese v Spezia (8pm)
Lazio v Atalanta (10.45pm)
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Specs
Engine: Electric motor generating 54.2kWh (Cooper SE and Aceman SE), 64.6kW (Countryman All4 SE)
Power: 218hp (Cooper and Aceman), 313hp (Countryman)
Torque: 330Nm (Cooper and Aceman), 494Nm (Countryman)
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh158,000 (Cooper), Dh168,000 (Aceman), Dh190,000 (Countryman)
Tips for job-seekers
- Do not submit your application through the Easy Apply button on LinkedIn. Employers receive between 600 and 800 replies for each job advert on the platform. If you are the right fit for a job, connect to a relevant person in the company on LinkedIn and send them a direct message.
- Make sure you are an exact fit for the job advertised. If you are an HR manager with five years’ experience in retail and the job requires a similar candidate with five years’ experience in consumer, you should apply. But if you have no experience in HR, do not apply for the job.
David Mackenzie, founder of recruitment agency Mackenzie Jones Middle East
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
More on Quran memorisation:
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Director: S Sashikanth
Cast: Nayanthara, Siddharth, Meera Jasmine, R Madhavan
Star rating: 2/5
The biog
Hometown: Cairo
Age: 37
Favourite TV series: The Handmaid’s Tale, Black Mirror
Favourite anime series: Death Note, One Piece and Hellsing
Favourite book: Designing Brand Identity, Fifth Edition
The biog
Favourite pet: cats. She has two: Eva and Bito
Favourite city: Cape Town, South Africa
Hobby: Running. "I like to think I’m artsy but I’m not".
Favourite move: Romantic comedies, specifically Return to me. "I cry every time".
Favourite spot in Abu Dhabi: Saadiyat beach
Washmen Profile
Date Started: May 2015
Founders: Rami Shaar and Jad Halaoui
Based: Dubai, UAE
Sector: Laundry
Employees: 170
Funding: about $8m
Funders: Addventure, B&Y Partners, Clara Ventures, Cedar Mundi Partners, Henkel Ventures
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
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Cricket World Cup League 2
UAE results
Lost to Oman by eight runs
Beat Namibia by three wickets
Lost to Oman by 12 runs
Beat Namibia by 43 runs
UAE fixtures
Free admission. All fixtures broadcast live on icc.tv
Tuesday March 15, v PNG at Sharjah Cricket Stadium
Friday March 18, v Nepal at Dubai International Stadium
Saturday March 19, v PNG at Dubai International Stadium
Monday March 21, v Nepal at Dubai International Stadium
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
What is Folia?
Prince Khaled bin Alwaleed bin Talal's new plant-based menu will launch at Four Seasons hotels in Dubai this November. A desire to cater to people looking for clean, healthy meals beyond green salad is what inspired Prince Khaled and American celebrity chef Matthew Kenney to create Folia. The word means "from the leaves" in Latin, and the exclusive menu offers fine plant-based cuisine across Four Seasons properties in Los Angeles, Bahrain and, soon, Dubai.
Kenney specialises in vegan cuisine and is the founder of Plant Food Wine and 20 other restaurants worldwide. "I’ve always appreciated Matthew’s work," says the Saudi royal. "He has a singular culinary talent and his approach to plant-based dining is prescient and unrivalled. I was a fan of his long before we established our professional relationship."
Folia first launched at The Four Seasons Hotel Los Angeles at Beverly Hills in July 2018. It is available at the poolside Cabana Restaurant and for in-room dining across the property, as well as in its private event space. The food is vibrant and colourful, full of fresh dishes such as the hearts of palm ceviche with California fruit, vegetables and edible flowers; green hearb tacos filled with roasted squash and king oyster barbacoa; and a savoury coconut cream pie with macadamia crust.
In March 2019, the Folia menu reached Gulf shores, as it was introduced at the Four Seasons Hotel Bahrain Bay, where it is served at the Bay View Lounge. Next, on Tuesday, November 1 – also known as World Vegan Day – it will come to the UAE, to the Four Seasons Resort Dubai at Jumeirah Beach and the Four Seasons DIFC, both properties Prince Khaled has spent "considerable time at and love".
There are also plans to take Folia to several more locations throughout the Middle East and Europe.
While health-conscious diners will be attracted to the concept, Prince Khaled is careful to stress Folia is "not meant for a specific subset of customers. It is meant for everyone who wants a culinary experience without the negative impact that eating out so often comes with."
Our family matters legal consultant
Name: Hassan Mohsen Elhais
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