You know me. I like to have my cake and eat it, most often in London. It's a city crammed with cafes, tea rooms, bakeries, hotels, food halls and stalls selling amazing cakes and baked treats. We have a brilliant baking tradition here and, as I have discovered recently, London has more than its fair share of passionate, independent bakers.
Never tiring of London or of cake, I decided a while ago that a guide to the capital's best cakes would be worth researching and writing, and the publishing side was sorted out. So I went looking in earnest for London's best cakes (I was always keen, but this was with even more determination) and found some fantastic places. The only trouble is that the planned guide has now stalled for various reasons, and I find myself with a stack of cake reviews and an album of cakey photos which will all go to waste if I don't use them somewhere. So this blog is now that somewhere, and I'll be posting the reviews here.
I had fun with the title. It could have been Have Your Cake and Eat It in London, or just Have Your Cake: London. But today I've decided on a new title: Capital Cake. Because that's what it is.
(All the photos are taken with an iPhone, for a specific reason.)
1. Fernandez & Wells
Although Fernandez & Wells has a wonderful deli/sandwich shop round the corner on Lexington Street, this is the F&W place for cake. In fact, it’s one of the places for cake in London. Behind an unassuming black wood and glass facade is a light and airy, plain and simple, long and narrow cafe with a long counter filled with generous arrangements of utterly delicious-looking cakes and baked goods on simple slate trays. There is good coffee and newspapers, and scrubbed wooden counters and tables to sit at with your chosen cake .
And herein lies the problem, as this the kind of place that outs you in a major dilemma. Do you come back many times to work your way through the cakes, go all out for a one-off grande bouffe, or turn up with a crowd of friends and family so that you can order one of everything and share?
Whatever your chosen solution to dealing with such temptation, you can’t go wrong. There are loaf cakes, sliced cakes, little cakes, biscuits and the best pasteis de nata (Portuguese custard tarts) this side of Lisbon. Cakes are classic (coffee and walnut, carrot, lemon polenta) or novel and intriguing (Amalfi orange, pear, buttermilk and lavender, chocolate and brandy), and there are big, fluffy croissants, pale buttery shortbread, generous portions of flapjack, and thick bars of millionaire’s shortbread that don’t cost a fortune. Prices are fair, the staff are friendly, and the location is close to all the attractions of Soho. And it sells Barry’s Irish tea in proper tea pots. A true gem.
Slice of cake: £3.20 - £3.50
Tea: £2.00
Coffee: £2.50
73 Beak Street
London W1F 9SR
Tel: 020 7287 8124
Website: www.fernandezandwells.com
Open: Mon – Fri 7.30 – 6, Sat 9 – 6, Sun 9 - 5
And a slice of culture: F&W is in walking distance of the Royal Academy, Shaftesbury Ave theatres, Curzon Cinema, Liberty of London, Berwick Street fabric shops, the Marshall Street Baths, and the delights of Soho.
ooooh, as a native of Cork I am fascinated that you mention Barry's tea as one of the reasons this cake shop is attractive.....
Do they use loose Barry's tea or tea bags?
Posted by: laura | July 25, 2011 at 10:34
Hurray, my dear 'pastel de nata' here in Yarnstorm. :) It's kind of weird to see them here, but then again, it's an honour. Of course the best place to taste them is here in Lisbon, but this F&W could be a place for those who are far away from home.
Posted by: joana | July 25, 2011 at 10:44
What a shame you couldn't self publish and sell it to the Tourist Board or some such body. It all looks delicious.
Posted by: maggie | July 25, 2011 at 11:05
Those cakes look divine! What a pity your book project has stalled.
Posted by: Annie | July 25, 2011 at 11:14
I think this sort of book would be very useful to anyone who loves cake... whether there a tourist or Londoner :)
Sue Xxx
Posted by: Sue | July 25, 2011 at 11:18
Please tell me you have a coffee and cake app in your future plans. And I highly recommend the F&W Clementine cake.
Posted by: Ali | July 25, 2011 at 12:08
You would post this on a day when I am having a mammogram and my annual well-woman exam (i.e., am fasting so they can do bloodwork). I wasn't hungry when I woke up a few minutes ago. I sure am now!
Posted by: Lynn | July 25, 2011 at 12:13
Oh what a very good idea and yes, Ali is so right, this would make the perfect app. How very kind of you to do the leg work for we lazy cake eaters!
Posted by: Rebecca | July 25, 2011 at 12:13
Jane...don't give up on this idea. It is saleable, really!
Anna Marie
Posted by: Anna Marie | July 25, 2011 at 12:31
I'll keep a note of this shop, thank you so much, as I would never have known about it, or found it, without you! Also, it's near Liberty, so I can eat cake AND buy wool and buttons at the same time! Great!
Posted by: Jayne | July 25, 2011 at 12:48
I've been searching for recommended cake and coffee places in London so this is perfect! Thank you.
Posted by: Helen | July 25, 2011 at 13:11
I think your blog is the perfect place for this (even better than in print, if I'm honest, as food purveyors can be as fleeting and changeable as blog content these days). I'm only disappointed that I'm nowhere near London
Posted by: christina | July 25, 2011 at 13:50
Oh sure show us mouthwatering cake, describe places to eat mouthwatering cake, but don't offer us any. What kind of a hostess are you? Maybe your daughter would make us some? :)
Posted by: Susan M. | July 25, 2011 at 14:13
Oh how delicious, as the owner of a cake business myself (though home based), I will really enjoy checking back for more yummy cake reviews. And I'm visiting London next week with my 2 little helpers (Peggy Porschen already on our list of must-eats). Thanks Jane, perfect timing! xx
Posted by: Emma B | July 25, 2011 at 14:30
Oh, I look forward to these episodes of cake and goodies, even though I'm far away.
Posted by: Lisa G. | July 25, 2011 at 15:22
Why not publish this yourself. You can use blurb, get a designer to make it look beautiful and sell it from the blog.
I'm sure it would be a huge success!!
Posted by: The Womens Room | July 25, 2011 at 15:25
Oh I love Fernandez & Wells. The only trouble sometimes is getting a seat!
K x
Posted by: kristina | July 25, 2011 at 15:49
Agree with all the above that mentioned self publishing - even a Bob Book. All look scrummy, but I just love pastel de nata - the sadly defunct Somerfield used to sell them, but haven't seen them for years. In that area of town, I think it must be Wagamama for main and F&W for pudding! As it's the hols now, I am sorely tempted......
Posted by: geraldine | July 25, 2011 at 18:32
Another reason to visit London (as if one needed any more)! I hope it's still in business when I'm able to travel... it could be that long!
Thanks for sharing, it looks really delicious.
Jake
www.dapperdreamy.blogspot.com
Posted by: Jake at Dapper and Dreamy | July 25, 2011 at 19:39
I love the idea of capital cakes. These look particulary scrummy. I will have to check your blog regulary and plan a few autumn cake walks.
Posted by: A Trifle Rushed | July 25, 2011 at 20:31
it's a shame that the book didn't go forward, but it's our great gain to see all of the reviews enticingly displayed here instead :) my mouth is watering!
Posted by: Danielle | July 25, 2011 at 21:07
Great place, one to add to my Liberty-Cloth House-Cos triangle. Thank you.
Re publishing, shame about the book, but if you could compress and rethink it sounds perfect for a Herb Lester map, have you seen these? I have the You Are Here London one, which I really like.
Have a look here for more
http://caughtbytheriver.net/shop/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=13
Posted by: oxslip | July 25, 2011 at 21:48
I think I'm going to teleport to London right now!!
Posted by: wasabi honey bee | July 25, 2011 at 22:53
What a pity the book didn't come to be...
But lucky us blog readers since we now get to look at all the scrumptious pictures and read the really mouthwatering review(s)!
Now could somebody buy me a plane ticket to London, please? ;-)
Posted by: Annabel | July 26, 2011 at 13:32
Love this post! And now I must to London go...
Posted by: Sarah | July 27, 2011 at 00:27
Thank you for sharing, those cakes look delicious! Shame about the book, but this would make an even better iPhone app - some sort of GPS map function where you could see the nearest cake shops to your vacinity and click on them to get the reviews and photos. Would be easier to keep up to date than a book.
Posted by: Lindsay | July 27, 2011 at 07:50
Sounds wonderful but expensive! Here in Lisbon you can taste the original pastel de nata for 0,90€ and have a really good espresso for 0,65€ :-)
Posted by: joana | July 27, 2011 at 10:54
What a shame this book isn't going to be published! It would have had pride of place on my shelf!
I have already arranged to rendezvous with a friend here on my return to London, thanks to you...I absolutely cannot wait! So much for New York being the King of Cake Shops...I think not! I am very much looking forward to discovering some new gems - thank you Jane! Though I doubt doing all the research was a hardship! Ha!
Posted by: Rachel | July 27, 2011 at 14:17
Ohhhh such a joy to see my local coffee shop here - no wonder I am getting plumper by the second with this calling at 4 o'clock everyday.
The coffee is amazing too
Posted by: bekky | July 29, 2011 at 16:18
Thank you for sharing, those cakes look delicious!
Posted by: penny auction | July 30, 2011 at 10:16