Cuppies ‘n’ Cream is a Hampshire based cakery and coffee shop founded by owner Natalie Dickinson. A small business with big ambitions, they love nothing more than getting to know their customers, making new friends and supporting their local community. And it’s clear their moto ‘we create happiness’ applies to their staff and customers alike. As Natalie says, ‘if we can make every customer smile with a delicious treat and a great cup of coffee, our job is done!’.
In September 2020 they opened their flagship cafe in a beautiful Grade II listed building in the picturesque village of Hartley Wintney, with a second shop following in Yately in April 2022.
We sat down with Natalie to find out more about the business, but read on at your peril – this is going to make you hungry.
Where did it all begin?
I baked cakes for years at home alongside my full-time job, but when the pandemic struck I knew that it was a now or never opportunity, and the hunt began for our first shop. I love baking using the best ingredients, never using artificial flavours or additives in our bakes, and we bake exclusively with the very best natural ingredients available, including organic free-range eggs, real butter, organic flour, the best sugars and Callebaut chocolate.
Our luxury celebration cakes are all made by hand and layered, filled, swirled, piped, and drizzled with love. We love trying new recipes and techniques and there’s little we won’t do in search of cake perfection! We have a signature range of cakes available to order directly on our website, but we have also been making beautiful wedding cakes for over 10 years and we love meeting new couples and designing their dream cake.
It doesn’t stop there though; we also post our traybakes out all over the UK! If you fancy a box for yourself or want to treat a loved one, then a gift box of our signature brownies can be on your doorstep in as little as 48 hours.
Finally, our Yateley shop is also the home to our classes where we teach a variety of different techniques from cupcake making to mastering the tricky macaron. Our classes are suitable for all ages and abilities and numbers are kept small so that everyone gets the chance to ask questions and learn a new skill in a calm, friendly and relaxed environment.
Why did you choose The Roasting Party for your coffee?
I’d been drinking Roasting Party coffee way before the opening of Cuppies ‘n’ Cream, so it was an absolute no-brainer that it would be the first place I approached on the hunt for a wholesaler. Originally it was going to be purely about the cake, and we rather naively wanted to simple serve batch brew and V60s… I know, crazy! But as soon as I walked into The Roasting Party’s HQ it didn’t take long to be convinced that we needed to go down the full coffee route. The rest is history – no regrets!
What do your customers say about your coffee?
Hartley Wintney was calling out for some decent speciality coffee and without The Roasting Party’s support we’d not have the loyal customer base we do now. We’re often approached by other wholesalers but, hand on heart, we’d never even consider using another roastery. We love the coffee and The Roasting Party concept and team so much! It’s a partnership that makes us feel like we’re working with the best in the business.
We only recruit baristas who have a genuine passion for coffee. It doesn’t matter if they’ve ever used a professional machine or not, it’s more about their vision and motivation to serve consistently great coffee! You can really tell when a barista’s heart isn’t in it. Both our shops are creating their own reputation, and I know a lot of our Hartley Wintney customers return specifically because they know our baristas will be brewing them the best coffee around. We’ve often considered adding ‘best coffee ever’ to the back of our barista’s t-shirts because we get told it that often!
What’s your go to coffee order?
I flip between a flat white or a V60.
