Heat the butter, syrup and sugar together in a small pan until melted, stirring occasionally. Set aside to cool slightly.

Mix together the bicarbonate of soda, spices and flour in a large bowl. Pour in the buttery syrup mixture and stir to combine, then use your hands to bring together to form a dough.

Wrap in cling film and place in fridge to chill. The dough will be soft at this point, but it’ll firm up in the fridge.

Remove dough from fridge and roll the dough out to a thickness of ½cm. Cut out your shapes including the centre and place on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper.

Crush the boiled sweets and place a small pile in the centre of each biscuit.

Make a small hole in the top of each biscuit so you can thread a ribbon through once cooled.

Place biscuits in a preheated oven. Bake for 10-12 minutes until golden then leave to cool slightly on tray before removing to wire rack to cool completely.

Make your royal icing by combining with 70-100ml of cold water until thick and creamy. Then transfer to a piping bag or alternatively you can dip your biscuits into the icing. Decorate each biscuit any way you like and adorn with festive sprinkles.

Once the biscuits have dried (can take a few hours) thread some string or ribbon through the holes in the top of the biscuits.