Afternoon Tea: Cutter & Squidge, London

Two years ago, when I announced that I was moving to England, my American friends enthused, "Then you can go to high tea all the time!" The idea was thrilling at the time, but I soon learned that afternoon tea (no one calls it "high" tea here) in the UK pales to what we do in the Bay Area.  Northern California does afternoon tea the same way we do any other kind of food; with lots of passion and creativity, innovating taste combinations while still honoring artisan cooking, baking and confection.  

I have since learned to appreciate (not love, but appreciate and even enjoy) afternoon tea in England for what it is.  My theory is that the British love the predictability of having the same sandwich and cake selection in nearly every tea room across the country.  These are comfort foods; and thus comforted, they can focus completely on the mellow discussion they are having with their tea mates.  (Back home, we get so stimulated by food that there are periodical stops in conversation-- no matter how fascinating the topic-- to moan rapturously about what we are tasting.)  

Cutter & Squidge in London is far from the typical English tea room.  And officially, it's more of a bakery specializing in tall, layered cakes and variations on their own creation, the Biskie. I discovered the place in January, on my quest for London's best hot chocolate (found!).  While I was savoring that hot chocolate and a slice of raspberry and matcha cake, I peeked at the cafe menu and discovered that they serve afternoon tea.  And what they proposed was far more imaginative than the ham-and-cheese finger sandwich, raisin scone, and chocolate cake package that typically comes with British afternoon tea.

Cutter and Squidge's afternoon tea offering, March 2017

On that freezing January day, I had just finished a substantial lunch, so I didn't have room in my tummy for afternoon tea, but made a mental note that I had to try it in the near future.

With Queen Carli visiting this week, it was the perfect opportunity to have my curiosity (and appetite) satisfied.  I suggested afternoon tea as a "very British experience" that Carli had to have, even more fitting since she had never done afternoon tea before, even in New York.  (She imagined that afternoon tea was going for a stodgy cup of $20 Earl Grey in a fancy Manhattan hotel.)   I sold her on the idea that a good "starter" experience would be to avoid the hotels or any place with table linens made of actual cloth, so off we went to Cutter & Squidge.

I made a mistake.  I shouldn't have suggested Cutter & Squidge when I hadn't had their afternoon tea service before.  I didn't know that I was about to have one of the best afternoon teas of my life, surpassing even some fabulous afternoon teas I've had in San Francisco.  Unfortunately, Cutter & Squidge made too good a first impression that Carli might go to afternoon tea in New York, expecting it to be as amazing as Cutter & Squidge, and she will end up bitterly disappointed.

The Savories.  Not pictured: cheddar cheese gougeres.

The Sweets, Carli's portion. Not pictured: my portion of sweets (very similar to Carli's but less pink because of the strawberry omission) and the brownie bowl.

For your consideration, here is what was on the menu:

"Pot of Fine Loose Tea

A selection of Finger Sandwiches:

Chicken Salad | Sriracha Egg | Smoked Cheese & Caramelised [sic] Onion | Cucumber & Mint

Salmon Tart

Chive & Sour Cream Scones, with Tomato Pepper Jam

Cheese Clouds [the aforementioned gougeres]

Passion Fruit Macaron

Blueberry & Lemon Cake Truffle

S'More Marshmallow

Billionaire Tart

Seasonal Fruit Pavlova [it was passion fruit]

Brownie Bowl

Lychee Pearl Biskie

Chocolate & Raspberry Lollibag Cake"

Note:  Cutter & Squidge's tea selection is brief and well curated, offering six options beyond the standard English Breakfast and Earl Grey.  I had the refreshing Lychee & Peach tea, Carli stayed true to her ancestral roots with the Moroccan Mint.

I can't say enough how delicious the food was, and I think Cutter & Squidge's mission to use only real ingredients (eschewing all artificial flavors or colors) sets them miles apart from any other tea room I've visited in the UK.  They easily and cheerfully worked around my strawberry allergy, and were generous with the teapot refills.  They also get bonus points for their original presentation: instead of tiered plates, our food was brought to the table in re-purposed dim sum steamers.

Carli isn't the only one whose idea of afternoon tea in the UK has been forever altered. This experience was so good, I'm afraid that I won't want to try any other London tea rooms.

If you're not hungry enough for the full afternoon tea, why not try Cutter & Squidge's salted caramel hot chocolate (the best hot chocolate in London!) with either a slice of dream cake or one of their signature Biskies (below).

The Biskie selection in January 2017; notice the Chinese New Year Biskies on the far left.