REVIEW : EAT - The Cauldron, Edinburgh, Wizard Afternoon Tea

Grab your wands, throw on your cloak and be prepared for a fun filled afternoon of brewing action and dazzling lights. Welcome to the Wizard Afternoon Tea at The Cauldron.

REVIEW OF THE WIZARD AFTERNOON TEA, THE CAULDRON, EDINBURGH

As I swept aside the curtain to enter the body of the wizards cave, my first reaction was, oh gosh its filled with kids! Their squeals of delight and laughter filled the air throughout the afternoon but within 10 minutes of us taking our seats, I understood why - I was soon wrapped up in my own wee wizarding world.

This experience is completely interactive and will keep the young and those adults young at heart entertained for a few hours.

The star of the show is without a doubt, the dragons nest tree. An incredible afternoon tea stand that flickers and pulses with every changing colours; buttons and symbols that create magic with the touch of the wand and branches that will soon be laden with sweet and savoury treats.

There’s a chest trinket box filled with vials and bottles of herbs, flowers and tea; a dinky mortar and pestle, three large hourglass timers and tinctures filled with oils and elixirs. Everything a wizard in the making would need to create some potions and concoctions.

You become so embroiled in choosing, mixing, crushing, smelling and tasting that time just melts away. Rosebuds, jasmine, rooibos, hibiscus can all be mashed into finer pieces and added to the teabag pouches provided. Flip your timer, add the hot water and let brew whilst you choose another potion.

This first process is about brewing traditional teas whilst the second tea-pportunity is the Three Transfiguring Tricksters and this is most definitely where most of the shrieks of joy will come forth.

It’s more potion making than tea brewing and the colour changing antics will hold all in a trance.

There’s more secret compartments revealed, and plenty of razzle dazzle. Your wand will come in handy not only to call your wizarding tutor but also to turn up the lighting volume on your tree.

For me the Afternoon Tea is all about the creating of the perfect brew. It’s about experimenting and sipping, engaging with the process and become completely involved in the wizard world of tea. The actual drinking of the tea comes second to this and plays a more supporting role.

As for the food, you almost forget about it and if it weren’t for the announcement when it arrives to be displayed on the tree, you’d be forgiven for forgetting about it. Unfortunately, most of the food was forgettable (this means that it wasn’t bad and tasted fine, it just didn’t blow me away) with only the freeze dried skittles disguising themselves as baby dragon eggs and the utterly glorious macaroons from Mademoiselle Macaron, really tasty and worthy of a mention.

Unfortunately, our Afternoon Tea food display was nothing like what was advertised - no brownies with a pipette of jam to squeeze into the middle, no child like memory invoking jam swiss roll, no hidden delight kept under wraps beneath a banana leaf, no delectable drool worthy cupcakes and no freshly baked light as a feather scones (cupcakes and scones were provided but unfortunately they weren’t delicious). Looking around the other tables, the finger sandwiches of ham, cheese and pickle, coronation chicken and cucumber were all untouched; perhaps mini burgers and hotdogs, or sausage rolls might work better here - after all this is no ordinary Afternoon Tea!

The food offering has the potential to be as potently engaging as the mixology offering.

BUT overall, this was a great way to spend an afternoon. I thoroughly enjoyed it and my inner geek loved the interactive molecular gastronomy aspect.

For me this is the perfect treat for kids that love Harry Potter and all things magical. They will become so absorbed in the experience and talk about it for days. You may even have to stop by eTeaket on your way home and pick up some magical teas for them to continue their wizarding training at home.

The Cauldron, 57a Frederick Street, Edinburgh, EH2 1LH www.thecauldron.io/edinburgh

The Cauldron’s Wizard Afternoon Tea costs £34.99 for the Arcane Wizard’s Tea and £19.99 for the Little Wizard’s Afternoon Tea. It can be booked ONLINE. 

The Cauldron Co has also launched a crowd-funded investment campaign – Equity For Magic – raising funds to help the business expand its immersive experiences. To find out more, to become a shareholder, and to breathe a bit more magic into the world, visit their website. 

My Spoon Award : Silver 8/10.

I give the food 7/10 and the brewing, tea and overall experience a 9/10.

I was invited by The Cauldron to review their Wizard Afternoon Tea. Food and drink were complimentary but the views are very much my own.