For us
Yorkshire folk who are partial to a spot of Afternoon Tea, the chances are you
will have heard of Betty’s Tea Room. There are six Betty’s Tea Rooms you can
visit, namely Ilkley, Northallerton, York, Stonegate York and two branches in
Harrogate. Now I can’t speak for the other branches, but the Betty’s located in
the centre of Harrogate is always overflowing with visitors. Every time I have
visited Harrogate there has been a stream of people lining the streets outside (even
in the rain) eagerly waiting to get a table. Of course due to the tea room’s
popularity, I had very high expectations and felt certain I was in for a treat.
Afternoon Tea was served in the
Imperial Room, a charming and elegant room located upstairs away from the main
dining area. To dine in this room you are required to book in advance, but it
does enable you to bypass the long queues outside so it is worth doing.
Although, it does cost £8 more than if you choose to wait and dine in the main
café. But the Imperial Room does offer a unique dining experience. The room,
due to its location upstairs, is much quieter than the busy main café, whilst
the soothing live piano music and elegant décor, including stone fireplaces and
crystal chandeliers, do create a rather enchanting setting to enjoy your
afternoon tea.
On arrival, waiters come to
greet you at the door and relieve you of your coat – at which point you realise
that this is no ordinary, run-of-the-mill café. You are then shown to your
table and asked by your waiter (who is smartly dressed in black and white – very
fetching) if you would like some champagne with you meal. If you opt for some
bubbly, this cost of your afternoon tea will shoot up to £33.95, as opposed to
£26.95 if you choose to stick with tea. You are then given the tea menu which
includes a variety of different options, including green teas, white teas or
the more traditional black teas. I went for the rather unadventurous ‘Betty’s
Tea Room Blend’, which is basically just your regular English breakfast tea,
but it was delicious nonetheless.
The Afternoon Tea, which was served on a classic three-tier stand, was served shortly after the tea arrived. The sandwiches consisted of coronation chicken, roast ham and mustard, egg and cress and Wensleydale cheese and apple chutney, served on a variety of white and brown bread. I should point out that I requested the cheese and chutney in replacement of the prawn and salmon sandwich (awkward customer, I know), so they are more than happy to cater for what you would like if you are picky like me. The sandwiches were delightful, particularly the cheese and apple chutney, but it was just a shame you didn’t get a few more.
The cakes consisted of a
shortbread biscuit topped with raspberries and whipped cream, a salted caramel
macaroon and a rich chocolate and orange cake, accompanied by two freshly baked
scones served with jam and clotted cream. I really can’t fault the cakes as
they were all delicious, but I must say, the salted caramel macaroon was
exceptionally good! The cakes, although bite-sized, are surprisingly filling,
so if you have any leftovers they will happily box them up for you to take home
to enjoy later. The waiter did ask if we wanted any more tea at the end of the
meal, but since we declined I’m not sure if you have to pay for additional
drinks – it’s unlikely that you do, but I could be wrong.
The
price tag for Afternoon Tea at Betty’s may seem a little steep, but the
impeccable service, high quality food and the beautiful setting do help to
justify the amount. I doubt it is somewhere you would dine out frequently
(unless you can afford it, of course), but as a special little treat it is a
lovely place to visit and I would certainly dine here again.
