Harry Potter cafe opens for business in Margate

After issues with costs and covid the cafe reopened with a new style.  Finn Macdiarmid went down to see some magic for himself.

Transcript

00:00The cafe swapping coffee for cauldrons has had a magical makeover. Named after an antique

00:16shop from the books, Borgan & Bakes went through a Harry Potter transformation, almost like

00:20it drank a polyjuice potion.

00:23The cafe used to be called Little Brown Fairy Cakes, but after COVID, they struggled with

00:27business, and the owner thought that a change to the decor might help.

00:31Well the change certainly didn't hurt, as people were coming through the door, not just

00:34for cakes and coffees, but for the aesthetic too.

00:38We've changed the shop because I needed something to reflect what we're doing now. So I've stopped

00:44making the big cakes, like Gollum up there, and we're just focusing on what we sell in

00:49the shop. Cupcakes, pastries and cookies, and we also do Harry Potter wizardy afternoon

00:57teas, so we needed something to reflect that.

01:01Some didn't agree with the change however, due to the controversy surrounding J.K. Rowling,

01:06specifically her views on transgender people.

01:09Nicola assures that as a Harry Potter fan, she separates the work from the author in

01:13her mind, and makes sure that she and the cafe are as inclusive as possible.

01:17Some of the decorations around the shop are actually 3D cakes, including Dobby, Gollum

01:22and the BFG, who was originally a 6 foot full body creation back when he was first made.

01:28While they sell lattes, mochas and other muggle products, they've also got a themed afternoon

01:32tea for the wizards who haven't been sorted yet.

01:35Oh yes, so the Sorting Hat cupcakes are lovely chocolate fudge cupcakes with little sweets

01:42inside that are coloured, so you can find out what house you're in when you bite into

01:47it. A lot of the kids love it so much. We do chocolate frog brownies, which are specially

01:53moulded in the shape of chocolate frogs just like in the film, but it is a proper chocolate

01:58fudge brownie, it's lovely.

02:00While I didn't have time to stick around for the afternoon tea, I thought I'd try one of

02:04their signature mocktails.

02:06I don't think I'd make it into Hogwarts as a wizard, but for this potions class, I'm going

02:10to be a test subject, trying out their Dragon's Breath Mocktail. Well, let's give it a go.

02:19Well no magical effects yet, but it tastes pretty good.

02:22Well Borgan and Bakes tell me they're confident in the future, even without a crystal ball

02:26to tell them so.

02:28Finn McDermid for KMTV in Westgate.