As a nation of ardent biscuit eaters, the humble biscuit has been a household staple across British homes, and what better way to celebrate this great British tradition than with a visit to Biscuiteers, the original hand-iced biscuit company. Founded by Harriet Hastings with her husband, Stevie Congdon, Biscuiteers was launched in 2007 with the mission to offer a more unique, stylish and personalised gifting solution under the banner, why send flowers when you can send Biscuiteers?
If you’re as much of a sweet tooth or biscuit aficionado as myself, you would surely be familiar with their Notting Hill Icing Café, opened in 2012 – famous for its illustrated façade and possibly the most instagrammed cafe in London, if not the UK! As most of you know, I’m an avid fan of the great British afternoon tea tradition, and was delighted to discover that they also offered an afternoon tea experience.
Whilst waiting for our afternoon tea delights to be prepared, we had a hand in an entertaining DIY Icing session. From their quirky array of biscuit shapes, I selected a sausage dog, a unicorn (of course), and a classic gingerbread man. For someone who normally has quite a steady hand, I must admit that my icing skills were not quite up to par … but I suppose it was not bad for a first attempt! Although I doubt that they’ll be accepting me as an in-house icer anytime soon …
Their tea is sourced from Tregothnan Estate in Cornwall, the first-ever English tea company to have created a range of black tea, green tea and herbal infusions homegrown on British soil – we shared a pot of their Afternoon blend, served in a cute red and white-striped teapot with matching teacups.
A celebration of all things Biscuiteers and everything sweet, their afternoon tea was as beautifully presented as like everything else in the shop. We were treated to miniature versions of their most loved cakes and patisseries which included a chocolatey salted caramel brownie, an indulgent coffee, chocolate & hazelnut roulade, lemon & blueberry cake, a mini raspberry & coconut éclair, rhubarb & custard cheesecake, and hand-piped macarons. Their iconic iced biscuits (perfectly iced by an expert!) were presented and decorated in the shape of an underground sign and a classic London icon, a red telephone box.
And of course no afternoon tea experience would be complete without scones – we shared a plain and fruit scone, accompanied by generous pots of clotted cream and strawberry & elderflower jam.
Overall it was a sweet and pleasant afternoon tea experience, with just the right portions for a light afternoon treat.
I did unfortunately miss out on taking a snap in front of their lovely facade, having been beaten to it by a group of enthusiastic Instagrammers armed with their props and their portable wardrobes …
Afternoon Tea is served between 11:00am and 4:00pm daily and is priced at £30 per person.
Their DIY Icing Café sessions run every day in their Notting Hill and Northcote Road Icing Cafes which lasts for up to an hour and is priced at £18 for three biscuits, which includes all your icing materials plus one decorative box for your finished design. Or if you’re already booked in for their afternoon tea, you have the option to upgrade your experience for £15 per person – you may find out more information on their website.
- My experience of the Biscuiteers Afternoon Tea was complimentary – views and photos are my own.
