Sieve the ginger, bicarbonate of soda and flour into a large bowl.

Melt the butter, sugars, syrup and treacle in a saucepan, then stir into the dry ingredients.

When the mixture has come together, roll out between two sheets of baking parchment, to about 5mm thick.  Place on a baking tray and leave in the fridge to chill for approximately 20 minutes.

Preheat oven to 180°C/160°C fan. Use a large cookie cutter to cut your chosen shapes. Place the cookies on a lined baking tray and bake for approximately 12 minutes, or until the edges are just starting to darken.

When the cookies are cool, decorate with royal icing.