Last weekend was my 25th birthday and one of my presents was afternoon tea at Cutter and Squidge. Cutter and Squidge is an all-natural bakery located in Soho, London. They make everything from scratch using 100% fresh, natural ingredients, and try to make a conscious effort to not laden their products with unnecessary sugars and fats.

I love this place, if I’m ever in Soho and fancying a coffee or something sweet this is one of the first places I think of. I have tried multiple cakes of theirs, and of course their signature Biskies! Whenever I have friends & family visiting me in London I will always try and take them to Cutter & Squidge for a sweet treat.

I love afternoon tea and as you may know I’m also a big fan of novelty, so this was the perfect afternoon out to celebrate my birthday. We arrived at 3:30pm and were quickly shown to our table inside the Genie’s Cave. Everything was purple and sparkly, and there were coins, jewels and other treasures scattered around the room.

The glittery tables and unique decorations all added to the magical atmosphere. I absolutely LOVED Aladdin growing up, it was one of my favourite films ever. In 2014 also saw the wonderful Broadway show in New York. I must admit, you don’t have to be an Aladdin fan to enjoy this experience!

Our afternoon tea started with the ‘Genie’s Welcome’ which consisted of yoghurt with raspberry, pomegranate, mint, pashmark (Persian candy floss) and meringue. The meringue encased smoke inside the glass which signified the genie coming out of the lamp. This little starter was absolutely delicious. I have no idea how they made it so tasty, all the flavours just worked so well together.

Next we tucked into cucumber & fresh mint and cheese & tomato jam finger sandwiches, followed by a selection of ‘Savoury Wishes’ including a Dessert Rose Tart with thinly sliced roasted vegetables, Savoury Scone Swirls with roasted peppers and feta cheese, and Golden Cheese Clouds with cream cheese and chutney. I normally want to skip straight to the cakes when it comes to having an afternoon tea, but honestly I think the savoury bits were my favourite part. They were SO good. We opted for the vegetarian afternoon tea and I think we only missed out on some coronation chicken sandwiches. They catered really well to vegetarians and all jellies were vegetarian too.

The ‘Sweet Wishes’ included a Raspberry & Rose Tart sprinkled with pistachio emeralds, a Hidden Gem Macaron with peanut butter and jelly and Magic Carpet Cookies. I absolutely loved the macaron, it was so light and fluffy and I’m a huge peanut butter lover! If I’m honest the Magic Carpet Cookie wasn’t for me, but I’ve never really been a big shortbread fan.

To finish, we enjoyed a Ruby Dream Cake which consisted of vanilla, strawberry orange glaze and a jelly ruby, and finally we had one of Cutter & Squidge’s signature Biskies – a Golden Treasure with Chocolate, Speculous and 24 Carat Gold. The cake was just like all of the cakes on offer at Cutter & Squidge – light, fluffy and delicious. The chocolate Biskie was lovely but it had something gingery/spicy inside it which I don’t personally like. I just picked that bit out and gave it to my partner!

As we were leaving we were given a gift from the genie which was a bag of chocolate coins. We decided that we had to eat them whilst inside the cave so we wouldn’t anger the guardian/disturb his slumber (Aladdin fans will get this reference).

The Genie’s Cave Afternoon Tea is available at Cutter and Squidge until the 31st of March 2018. Prices are £29.50 per person / £34.50 per person with a glass of bubbly / £14.50 kids under 10 years old. There is a +£5 surcharge for wheat or dairy free options.

Where?
20 Brewer Street
Soho
London
W1F 0SJ

When?
Cutter and Squidge Opening times:
Monday: 9:30am – 8pm
Tuesday: 9:30am – 8pm
Wednesday: 9:30am – 8pm
Thursday: 9:30am – 8pm
Friday: 9:30am – 9pm
Saturday: 11am – 9pm
Sunday: 11am – 8pm

The last seating for afternoon tea is 5pm.