If you’re visiting the city this summer and are on the lookout for something a bit different to do, a School of Icing Class at Biscuiteers could be just what you’re after!
What is Biscuiteers School of Icing?
Taking place in two locations in London, Belgravia and Notting Hill, this 2 hour class includes a guided tutorial where you’ll learn all the biscuit icing techniques and tips our icing experts use in the Grand Icing Hall at the Ministry of Biscuits, Wimbledon. You’ll leave with a host of new skills and a tin of biscuits iced by you!
An amazing experience and well informed and experienced tutor! Would recommend for everyone
- A very happy customer
Although we love our biscuits here in the Biscuiteers Marketing Team at Head Office, we might be considered novices when it comes to the icing magic that happens in the Grand Hall, so we thought we’d venture out for the day to our Biscuit Boutique in Notting Hill for a School of Icing class. That way, we can see what we’re missing out on and share with you what to expect when you pay us a visit!
How to find us
We visited our boutique in Notting Hill, you’ll find this store on Kensington Park Road, just a 5 minute walk from Ladbroke Grove Station and a hop skip and jump away from the famous Portobello Road and Notting Hill Gate station.
Look out for our famous black and white awning and head inside. You’ll be greeted by someone from the Notting Hill team who will take you downstairs to the School of Icing station.
(If you’re attending a class at our store in Belgravia, you’ll find us nestled away from the hustle and bustle of busy Victoria in the lovely Eccleston Yard)
What to expect at a Biscuiteers School of Icing Class
When You Arrive
Once you’ve arrived, the icing table is already set and ready for the action. There are 8 places to a class so you might meet a few new faces depending on how big your party is.
We got started by ordering a drink from the cafe, you have your choice of coffees, teas and cold beverages, including some refreshing Biscuiteers bubbly. As we were technically on the clock we opted for a cup of tea, accompanied with tennis ball biscuits!
Learning the Basics
After a quick introduction with our Master Icer Lorena, we jumped straight in with some classic Biscuiteers icing tips and tricks.
We were shown how to correctly hold a piping bag, how to position our hands, how much pressure to apply when icing, as well as how fast we should ice in order to create clean lines.
We were then shown how to ice simple shapes such as lines and squares, moving on to circles. Don't let my wobbly lines fool you, our icing instructor gave very clear and easy to follow instructions and was on hand to answer any questions.
Icing the Biscuits
Now we’ve got the basics covered, it's time to move on to the real canvas, the biscuits! During this class we were icing the biscuits from our Beside the Seaside tin.
We began with our line icing. Lorena went biscuit by biscuit demonstrating how to create the outline shape of each biscuit with the line icing.
Once the walls of the biscuits were finished, we moved onto flood icing, thankfully this part required a little less precision!
Whilst the flood icing was still wet, we were shown an icing technique called ‘feathering’, the result was a rather groovy swimming costume and a pair of flowery trunks.
Once all the flood icing was dry, we were shown how to add the finishing flourishes to our biscuits. Using line icing once again, Lorena went biscuit by biscuit sharing her ideas on how we can decorate and cover any inconsistencies with the line icing. You can get as creative as you want, coming up with your own designs or following the lead of your instructor.
Learning to Ice the Finishing Touches
After you’ve finished flooding, your first row of biscuits is placed in the oven to dry. Whilst in the oven we moved on to our next row and repeated the above steps, creating different designs. Our instructor also shared tips on how we can make icing at home, with some handy information on recipes and icing consistencies.
Once we were all happy with our finished creations, we were all given a hand-illustrated Beside the Seaside biscuit tin and gift bag to take our biscuits home in.
After a mooch around the shop and a few snaps outside we were ready to head back to the office and share our creations with the team…or accidentally keep them to ourselves.
Book a Biscuiteers School of Icing Class
If a session at a Biscuiteers School of Icing class sounds like something you or a loved one would enjoy, you can book today at either of our boutiques in Notting Hill and Belgravia. Alternatively you can gift the experience by ordering a School of Icing gift voucher, the lucky recipient can then book their class at a time that suits them!