Sunday, 24 February 2013

The Afternoon Tea Club Reviews: Cuthbert's Bakehouse, Liverpool

Last Monday The Afternoon Tea Club were invited to Cuthbert's Bakehouse in Liverpool for an afternoon of tea, cake and vintage fun!


Environment

Caroline:
Upon first entering this little cafe I was immediately struck by its elegance - Fully decorated with pretty fairy lights, fête style bunting and traditional cornices, I think it’s fair to say that Cuthbert’s Bakehouse is a vintage treasure.

Owned by Matthew and Elaine, Cuthbert’s attracts a large variety of clients, including students and businessmen alike - a testimony to just how far reaching its appeal is. The overall feeling is one of relaxation, with comforting turquoise hues running throughout, being off set with a variety of quirky features, including: lovely wooden floors, black boards and traditional net curtains. 

Particular highlights included their lovely antique furniture and old sweet counter which warmly greet you as you walk through the door, filling your senses with temptation - a real treat for the eyes!

The Full Tea

Laura: 
By combining a traditional British love for tea with a hipsters love for vintage, Cuthberts makes twee the new cool and sets itself apart as a prime hangout for Liverpool’s students.

Homely furniture housed in beautiful vintage surroundings, earn this mini tea shop top marks for décor and make it a great find amongst the city’s bustling Mount Pleasant.

I particularly loved the counter area with its adorable attention to detail, creating an illusion of organised clutter. The mix of colours on mismatched table settings, utensils and jars create an eclectic style that fuse together quite magically to achieve Cuthberts’ lived in and genuine personality.

Tempations Galore

Food

Caroline:  
What can I say about the Afternoon Tea at Cuthberts? Not only is it incredibly delicious, but also remarkably generous. Serving everything from Chocolate dipped Strawberries to Salted Caramel and Hazelnut Tarts, this menu offers something for everyone and is perfect for casual indulgence or a special celebration.

Roast Chicken Sandwich

On this occasion we opted for the traditional tea, which consisted of a selection of mini rolls (Smoked Salmon and Cream Cheese; Roast Beef and Horseradish; Roast Chicken Salad; and Camembert and Cranberry) All Butter Scones (served with Clotted Cream and Cuthberts Home Made Strawberry Jam), and a wonderful selection of Cakes (incl. Florentines, Macaroons, Classic Victoria Sandwich, Blueberry Tart, Salted Caramel and Hazelnut Tart, Chocolate dipped Strawberries and Norwegian Almond Custard Cake)  

Cake Selection

My absolute favourite from this selection had to be the Camembert and Cranberry Sandwich, closely followed by the mini Victoria which was very fruity and light - I could easily eat both of these all day long!

- Chosen from a selection of co-owner Matthew’s favourites, this menu varies from season to season, but from the standard of what we were presented with on Monday, we are absolutely certain that the choice will be equally lovely all year ‘round!

Sandwich Selection

Laura: 
The first thing I thought when the food arrived was ‘How on earth are we going to finish all of this?!’ Actually that’s a lie - the first thing I thought was, ‘Oh wow’.

Like Caroline said, the talented team at Cuthberts are certainly a generous bunch with a selection of afternoon treats big enough to keep your sweet tooth satisfied for much more than just one afternoon.

In keeping with their hotchpotch style - our three tier tea stand was presented beautifully with a rainbow of fresh sandwiches and cakey delights. And they tasted just as good as they looked!

Time for Tea

Of course, before the sweet comes the savoury and we were treated to a fabulous selection of mini sandwiches that proved you can never underestimate the power of a simple sarnie. Whole mini buns bursting with beef and cheese and even miniature bagels filled with salmon and chicken were a welcome surprise and absolutely yummy too.

Next up was my current favourite layer, a choice of both plain and fruit scones with jam and cream. They were both so tasty and the homemade spread made for a perfect middle tier.

Front Counter

And finally, our fantastic dessert selection. Drum roll please! Bare with us, as this is an impressive list, here goes; Norwegian almond custard cake, hazelnut and salted caramel tart, blue berry cream tart, Victoria sponge cake, Florentines, macaroons and even chocolate dipped strawberries. Phew! My favourite was the hazelnut tart – deliciously smooth and the caramel underneath was a lovely surprise.

And to accompany our feast my teacup was constantly topped up with amazing Joe Black Coffee – perfect!

Blueberry Tart

Service

Caroline:  
The service at Cuthberts was prompt and polite, without being at all intrusive. Everyone was very welcoming and ensured that our tea pots were always full - Top marks!
 
Laura: 
The staff we met were very polite and friendly. The lovely lady who brought our food even gave us a handy guide detailing each part of the afternoon tea and also boxed up the cake we couldn't manage to finish. I loved the cute little takeout boxes these were presented in – they gave a really great lasting impression.

Mini Victoria Sandwich

Overall Thoughts

Caroline: 
I had a lovely afternoon at Cuthbert’s Bakehouse and wouldn’t hesitate to return again in the future  - if you're looking for a good value Afternoon Tea in quality surroundings, then you will not be disappointed by what Cuthbert’s has to offer.

Laura:  
If I was a student in Liverpool, I can guarantee that Cuthbert's would be my go to coffee shop. They have a fantastic range of cakes and with an afternoon tea costing just £15 - you can afford to treat yourself more than every once in a blue moon. I say go now - before it becomes cool!

Cupcake Rating:


 





Cuthbert's is located at 103 Mt. Pleasant Liverpool. Afternoon Tea Prices range from £15.00 - £19.00 pp. For more information please visit their website HERE

As is common in the catering and leisure industry, we were provided with complimentary services for review purposes. Whilst this has not influenced our review, we believe in the full disclosure of all potential conflicts of interest.  
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