Oh Beautiful Betty's

The first thing my mum said when my dad told her we were going to Harrogate was 'we have to go to Betty's' and like hell did we! We managed to visit a different Betty's on each day of our break and all three were just as we had imagined.

For those who had not heard of Betty's before like me, well they are pretty legendary in Yorkshire. The first Betty's was opened in the early 1990s in Harrogate and expanded into other towns and cities in the area. It was famous for it's afternoon tea and amazing cakes and bakery. The business has been passed down through the family and is as famous and well-loved today as it was back then.

We visited to the original Betty's in Harrogate first, followed by the Betty's in York and then in Harlow Carr. The history of the tea rooms is still visible in the beautiful ornate buildings they are located in within the towns. The Harlow Carr one was a bit different as it was at a RHS Garden and was situated in a newer building but all the aspects of Betty's that the people of Yorkshire and from far beyond have become fond of were still present.

There were queues from the outside of the doors along the street at both the Harrogate and York Betty's showing just how popular they were. We didn't sit inside these two Betty's partly because we didn't have time to queue but also me and my dad aren't fans of tea or coffee so it seemed like it would be a bit of a waste to pay so much money for afternoon tea and waste half of it. We did spend a long time looking around the shop and bakery next to the tea rooms though at all the delicious breads, cakes, chocolates, jams and chutneys they had produced.

The Harlow Carr Betty's was much quieter but was just the same inside. The waitresses were all dressed in their very smart uniforms and the food available was identical to that of the original Betty's. We all sampled a different Betty's speciality cake and each was delicious but their famous macaroons really did steal the show!

Betty's was the perfect place to stock up on gifts to take back for our family and friends. Ever since we went to Paris in Easter my boyfriend has fallen in love with macaroons so when I saw a box of macaroons looking so elegant in the Betty's window I knew that they were the gift for him. They were wrapped so beautifully and looked so delicious. So delicious in fact that me and my sister couldn't resist buying an extra macaroon to share between ourselves for the walk home. We chose a strawberry one and I can tell you that it was the most incredible macaroon I have ever tasted.

If you are ever in the Yorkshire area then visiting a Betty's tea room really is a must. The attention to detail is incredible, the waitresses so attentive, the cakes so delicious and the history of the family so interesting to experience.

A Mini Break in Harrogate Part 2

On Sunday, we decided to have a look around Harrogate itself. In the Valley Gardens across the road from the apartment they were having the 'Big Picnic' so we had a look around the various stalls and activities that were going on. One thing that all my family commented on was how friendly the people from Yorkshire seemed to be. Everyone was really willing to have a little chat with you and were very helpful with directions or advice on places to go and see. The picnic had such a lovely family atmosphere and we really enjoyed spending the morning walking the gardens and soaking up the sun!

We then walked further into Harrogate centre and all around the town. It wasn't as big as York and there wasn't so much to see or do but it was still a really pretty place.

We then went back to the apartment for bacon and brie sandwiches and to get all patriotic and support Andy Murray in the Wimbledon final! My mum and sister aren't such a big fan of sport though and they soon got bored so during the rain break in the tennis we went for a walk to Betty's tea rooms at Harlow Carr. It was the third Betty's we had stopped at during the weekend but the only one we had purchased cakes from! It was about a 3 mile round trip walk through the pine woods to Harlow Carr and was lovely. Along the way we got some really great views across Harrogate and the surrounding areas because we were so high up.

We stopped for ice cream on the way back because we were so tired and needed an energy boost! We are so glad we did though because we found the most incredible ice cream parlour called Vanilli's. It was just at the end of our road and we had seen it the evening before but it was all closed up. The ice cream was AMAZING and came in the most incredible flavours. It was all homemade on the premises and I sampled a few different flavours before landing on a scoop of Cookies and Cream and a scoop of Jammie Dodger. Both were so good and made me want to go back for more! My sister had honeycomb and Cherry pie and my mum had Mint Choc Chip.

We had a great few days away and loved our first taste of Yorkshire. Now time to get back into work mode and finish the last 6 weeks of my internship before I jet off to the sun for a couple of holidays! I can't wait.