By Anika Kokatay
Starting from Monday, July 20, Warner Bros. Studio Tour London is hosting its first ever ‘Sweets and Treats’ feature. As with their ever delivering tagline of “Secrets Will Be Revealed”, this time visitors are getting a firsthand glimpse of all the tasty treats that have been seen on screen in the Potter films over the years.
We checked out the new addition earlier this week and gave a bit of an overview, as well as some delectable preview images.
We were lucky enough to be invited to the first day of this feature and it did not disappoint. We consider ourselves Studio Tour veterans and have become accustom to everything on display, but this time we had to keep my eyes peeled as there are lots of little things that have been added to the tour.
You’ll notice that the tables of the Great Hall have been decorated with lots of tasty looking cakes and sweets, replacing the usual roast dinner pieces. Passing further through the soundstages you’ll also see that some of the iconic sets like the Gryffindor Common Room and Weasley House have also been updated to keep in line with the ‘Sweets and Treats’ feature, so there’s plenty more to see if you have been already. But if this is going to be all fresh for you, then you’re in for a … treat!
On hand is a Ministry vendor area, with some food artists who will demonstrate the differences between the real sweets and cakes that they made, and the fake versions used for longevity throughout the filming process. Visitors can get hands-on to compare the two and guess which one is which, and you might be very surprised. One of our personal highlights for this new feature is the addition of Butterbeer ice cream, which is available to buy in the Backlot Café. Take us back, we want another! Your taste buds are in for a treat.
During the last parts of the tour you can get hands-on again and see how the team created the large towering ice cream scoops and feel exactly what they ‘ice cream’ is made of. For us this is a great aspect of the feature as, up to this point, the tour has largely been visual.
But whenever you are given the opportunity to handle the real props and set pieces, then it makes the experience that little more magical. Before you head out and see Hogwarts, there’s one last little feature in the graphic design department where you can see, in detail, the designs and drawings for the Weasley wedding cake, as well as some graphic labels and packaging designed by the art and graphics teams for the films.
If you are visiting the Studio Tour this summer, then this feature is a great addition to your experience, and if you haven’t tried the Butterbeer ice cream yet, then you are missing out.
‘Sweets and Treats’ is running until Sunday, 6 September.
Warner Bros. Studio Tour London - The Making of Harry Potter Sweets & Treats review 
