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 1

I'm not sure whether my Dad has been reading my blog or whether he has the powers of the character in 'What Women Want' but on Friday morning my Dad surprised us with a trip to Harrogate for the weekend. He'd booked a last minute deal on an apartment just out of the centre of Harrogate so needless to say there was a lot of excitement in my house! We set off on the 3 hour journey and soon arrived at a beautifully decorated and furnished apartment in a perfect location - overlooking the lovely Valley Gardens and just a 5 minute walk from the centre of Harrogate.

We went out for a lovely meal to Prezzo on the Friday evening and then went for a little walk around Harrogate before we collapsed into our beds for a much awaited long nights rest. We slept for a good 12 hours.

When we woke in the morning me and my dad went for a lovely run around the Valley Gardens. The sun was shining and we went and explored the beautiful park on our doorstep. We then all headed out to York for the day which is about a 30 minute drive from Harrogate. York really was beautiful. When we left we all found ourselves longing to go back and promising that we would visit York again soon. It is a stunning city and we were so lucky with the weather that we could just wander around all the little streets and along the river and city walls all day.

We started down by the river. It had burst it's banks on the opposite bank due to the amount of rainfall they had so riverboat cruises had been cancelled which was a bit of a shame but we still had a walk along the side of the river and over the bridges. 

Who knew they had a big wheel in York as well? I didn't go on of course, I have a major fear of heights!

We then sat down in the lovely gardens in York to eat our picnic and engage in a bit of people watching - definitely the best sport. For the rest of the afternoon we explored York on foot, visiting the Minster and all the little streets in and around the centre of York.

We had a walk down the Shambles, went into lots of little cute boutique shops as well as some well-known stores. I managed to stumble upon the Mulberry factory shop but it was still too expensive so we all stared through the window in awe making a mental dream list of which bags we would love to buy!

We also went in Cath Kidston and bought some ice cream from a lovely little parlour. We found time to walk part of the city walls and have a stroll through the various lovely gardens and parks that are dotted all over the city of York. After a very tiring day we collapsed back into the car to head home, picking up a Chinese on the way!