For the Lui sisters, founders of this award-winning bakery, the instinct to run a food business was in their blood. “We are of Chinese heritage from Hong Kong, but our parents decided to open a European restaurant, which soon became a destination spot,” says Annabel. “As teenagers working in the kitchen, we learned the pressures of the business firsthand: no matter how tired you are, you have to keep up with the pace and deliver for the customer.” These early experiences have been invaluable as Cutter & Squidge, founded over 13 years ago, has grown into a thriving business delivering to customers in both London and across the UK.
The lightbulb moment
The sisters’ route to success hasn’t always been linear. Initially, their paths took them into the corporate world, but the lure of baking was irresistible and in the end they decided to swap suits for aprons and spreadsheets for recipes. It was back in 2012 when the lightbulb moment came. Annabel explains, “I bought Emily a cupcake from a well-known bakery at the time, which tasted so bland. I turned to her and said, ‘Surely we can do better than this?’” And so, Cutter & Squidge was born. Before the rise of social media, the sisters drew from their hands-on experience and set up a stall at Chelsea Farmers Market. “Our original concept was to create a sweet treat company that was all natural, with no artificial colourings or flavourings: if it says strawberry on the ingredient list, it's made from the real fruit. Cutter & Squidge has never moved away from that concept,” explains Annabel.
Word of mouth quickly became the diligent duo’s greatest asset, as their bestselling ‘Biskie’, a cross between a biscuit, cookie, and cake, developed a huge following and attracted prestigious stockists such as Harrods and Selfridges. “We’d be baking on Christmas Day just to deliver on Boxing Day,” laughs Annabel. “We couldn’t afford a van then, so I remember driving into the loading bay of the car park and delivering the cakes myself,” adds Emily.
Out of the box
With a small team and few options for moving the brand forward, the sisters decided to bite the bullet and open a permanent store in 2015. “It was a family affair” says Annabel, “Dad built cabinets, I painted walls and we used picnic tables and chairs. Three weeks later, we opened in Soho, just down the road from our current premises at 20 Brewer Street, to a crowd gathered around the block.”
The vastly expanded range now includes cakes, brownies, cookies, hampers, a vegan wheat-free selection, and, of course, the ‘Biskie’ in tempting flavours such as Strawberries & Cream, Blueberry Cheesecake and Billionaire Dreambar. Breaking with tradition, the sisters deliberately avoided the formal white, black and gold patisserie boxes of the time in favour of bold orange branding and packaging. “We’ve always wanted Cutter & Squidge to be modern and a bit quirky. We like to be out of the box and stand out from the crowd,” Annabel adds.
The accessible, experiential feel of the Soho store, along with the recognisable orange boxes and graphics, has proved to be marketing genius, attracting a wide demographic. “We recently had a 90-year-old gentleman call the store to order a selection of ‘Biskies’ for his grandson because he didn’t know how to purchase online but loved the design,” shares Emily.
A traceable feast
Focused on staying ahead of the curve, Cutter & Squidge is passionate about sustainable measures. “We take pride in how we source our products, from raw ingredients to packaging,” says Annabel. “Everything is traceable. If we use vanilla extract, it's scraped from the pod by hand. All ingredients are sourced in the UK where possible and always from the highest-quality suppliers. Our tins are made using solar energy in Bermondsey, the materials are mined from Wales, and all packaging is recyclable.”
Sister support
Over a decade later, Cutter & Squidge continues to thrive. “We do endless packaging tests because our deliveries have to withstand being transported to their destination,” explains Annabel. Both of the duo agree that none of it would have been possible if they weren’t sisters. “It’s about trust, a shared vision, and being able to have frank conversations with each other in tough times. Along the way, so many people try to pull you in different directions, but as sisters, we can trust our gut, knowing we ultimately have the same outlook,” says Annabel.
Day to day, Emily draws on her background as a lawyer to handle commercial matters and operations, while Annabel focuses on new product development, financial planning, marketing and online operations. They collaborate on everything in between, “We do all taste testing together, and if we don't agree, the product doesn’t go through,” explains Emily.
This collaborative approach ensures the baked goods and customer experience are at the highest level. “I think my proudest moment is winning Online Bakery Brand of the Year at the 2024 British Baker Awards. We were up against the likes of Asda, and Ocado had won the previous year, so we thought we had no chance. When the judges, who were all baking industry professionals, awarded us the prize, it turned out they had conducted a blind taste test, ordering online without our knowledge. They loved not only the sweet treats but the whole customer experience.”
Bold ambitions
Cutter & Squidge have just released four new celebration cakes, now available for nationwide delivery, which were previously only available in London. As an exciting part of Cutter & Squidge's evolution from a cake bakery to an all-round gifting brand, they have also recently launched a range of letterbox and hand-tied flower bouquets so that their customer can send bouquets of joy around the country.
Last year, Annabel and Emily produced an exclusive hamper collection with John Lewis. This year, they have created a selection of fresh brownies, cakes and afternoon teas, to further extend the Cutter & Squidge gifting options available online in addition to the hampers. Soon they will be releasing gift sets and hampers through Next online. "We're evolving from being a bakery brand into an emotionally-led gifting company that still carries the heart of our origins: warmth, quality and handcrafted joy," says Annabel.
The Lui sisters are also conscious of leaning into their diverse heritage. Emily explains, “We haven’t just focused on traditional celebratory gifting such as Mother’s Day and Easter, but have also looked to occasions like Diwali, Eid and Chinese New Year.” In fact, earlier this year, Cutter & Squidge partnered with local café brand HOKO to create an Asian-inspired menu for the Lunar New Year.
Annabel and Emily love their Soho location. “London sets the trends for the rest of the country, especially when it comes to food,” says Emily. Humbled by their success, the Lui sisters take a moment to reflect: “We are now returning to working with big-name retailers, which really feels like a full-circle moment all these years later.” So, whether you have a big celebration coming up or fancy treating yourself, Cutter & Squidge have you covered, no matter what flavours tickle your taste buds.
Annabel & Emily's London
What is your favourite London memory?
Coming for family dim sum lunches, it was when they used to serve the dim sum out of carts wheeled around the tables. You can only get that in Hong Kong now.
Where do you like to eat in the capital?
Bibida in Notting Hill for Korean and Japanese food and BreadStall Pizza is a must-visit in Soho.
What do you miss most about London when you are away?
The food, we are so lucky we can get any kind of cuisine at any time of day, and the standard and produce quality are excellent.
London's best-kept secret is...
There is always something you can do for free, from exploring parks to enjoying museum exhibitions and food markets.
Do you support any London-based charities?
The Passage in Victoria, we really like the way they offer those who are homeless a path to getting back on their feet. And Bright Futures, who work with Children's Wards and Great Ormond Street Hospital, we head into the wards and run activity classes for the kids who are admitted for care.
