Betty’s Tea Room was
first opened in Harrogate in 1919 and has remained true to form since its inception.
It’s a family business and four generations and the legacy has been passed
through four generations since the founder, Frederick Belmont, opened the first
cafe 97 years ago. I’d like to think it hasn’t changed much since its
inception, for it has no need to; it is gloriously vintage and authentic, with
an art-deco interior, complete with ornate mirrors and flock wallpaper, tea
trays with golden handles and silver cake stands piled high. It’s an afternoon
of pure indulgence that will leave you feeling warm and nostalgic, just like
the place itself.
With folks flocking from up
and down the country to visit one of the six Betty’s Tea Rooms in Yorkshire, customers are renowned for queuing
out of the door and down the street to get a table inside the famous café.
During my day trip to York, we opted for the Stonegate shop rather than the
famous flagship eatery for no other reason than that the queue was shorter and
I wanted to experience the magic as soon as possible. Neatly positioned in a
listed building along a cobbled street, the cosy cafe is located above the shop
and bakery downstairs. We queued down the winding wooden staircase whilst
looking at the highly impressive and vast Autumn Menu.
Whether you’re after a light
lunch, a traditional afternoon tea or a three-course meal, Betty’s offers the finest quality food and a wide selection of hot
and cold beverages, all prepared onsite, downstairs in the Craft Family bakery.
I opted for a light lunch, mainly because I knew I couldn’t visit Betty’s and not sample one of their
delicious-sounding cakes. This is what I chose.
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| Mushroom quiche with Waldorf, carrot & coriander and mixed bean salads |
The mushrooms and thyme were
encased in a buttery pastry and the filling was light and fluffy. However, the
menu claimed that the quiche was ‘served warm’, when really it should have said
‘served lukewarm’ to be perfectly truthful. I don’t like piping hot food, as I
always end up burning the skin off the roof of my ridiculously over-sensitive
mouth. Not only that, but I believe food loses its flavour when it’s too hot.
However, I do think it should have been a little warmer than this. It was nice
to have three very different salads to accompany the quiche. You can’t go wrong
with mixed beans, they were tasty and wholesome. I had never tried Waldorf
salad previously; the fact that it contained apples was about as far as my
knowledge stretched. It was light, crisp and refreshing, made up of apples,
grapes and walnuts, all dressed in yoghurt. Couple this with the carrot and
coriander, which was also quite sweet, and the savoury mushroom quiche was
slightly overpowered. The three salads all had distinctly different, standalone
flavours and it almost felt like four different dishes had been scooped onto
the plate from a buffet; they didn’t particularly go together, but were
enjoyable all the same and it made for a healthy and nutritious lunch.
One of my companions indulged
in leek and emmental tortelloni, a sophisticated take on an Italian classic,
with the tortelloni cooked to perfection and served with crispy kale, something
else which crossed my palate for the first time. Crispy and salty, it reminded
me of seaweed, albeit a much healthier version.
The most highly anticipated
moment was when it came to tea and cakes. Our engadine torte, vanilla slice and
mocha torte were elegantly served on an exquisite three-tiered silver cake
stand, along with a pot of traditional English breakfast tea for me and Early
Grey for one of my friends. It’s this kind of attention to detail that makes Betty’s a real treat.
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| Cakes from top to bottom: Engadine torte, mocha torte and vanilla slice |
I selected my Engadine torte
from the cake trolley based on aesthetics alone, it looked stunning, and was
unlike anything I’d tasted before. A Swiss speciality, this nutty treat is
comprised of layers of hazelnut meringue and almond buttercream, with a hint of
lemon and topped with hazelnut Medicis. It had a crunchy texture rather than it
being soft and spongy, and wasn’t overly sweet.
The service was excellent,
with the waiting staff dressed in the appropriate vintage clothing complete
with floral-edged serving aprons. Our waitress was polite, friendly and
welcoming, making the effort to bring the cake trolley over to us and helping
us choose our desserts by taking us through what choices they had on offer on
that particular day. At no point did we feel rushed to leave, and I certainly
could have spent a couple more hours in the relaxed and cosy surroundings.
A visit to York simply wouldn’t be complete
without stopping in Betty’s Tea Room.
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