Betty’s is one of those iconic English places that everyone in Yorkshire and further afield knows about. Famous for its delicious cakes, sweets and tea blends, and super pretty tea rooms. It’s one of those places that I’ve always wanted to go for afternoon tea, and last Saturday I got my wish.
Sarah was invited to review their newest addition to the menu the Lady Betty afternoon tea, available Friday-Sunday and by reservation only and is that little bit more special than their traditional afternoon tea. Since we share a love of afternoon tea and all things cake, she invited me along, and I’m so glad she did! We stepped through the doors just as it started chucking it down with rain outside, and we couldn’t have picked a better place to seek shelter.
They Lady Betty afternoon tea is served in the event rooms in both Harrogate and York, so we had ours in the perfectly decorated Imperial room in Harrogate. 
While deciding on our tea choices, we were asked if we’d like a glass of champagne or a rhubarb champagne cocktail. We both opted for the cocktail and it was delicious! I’m going to try to replicate it at home and try to make my own rhubarb compote.
They Lady Betty afternoon tea is served in the event rooms in both Harrogate and York, so we had ours in the perfectly decorated Imperial room in Harrogate. 
While deciding on our tea choices, we were asked if we’d like a glass of champagne or a rhubarb champagne cocktail. We both opted for the cocktail and it was delicious! I’m going to try to replicate it at home and try to make my own rhubarb compote.
While we sipped on our cocktails, a prawn cocktail appetiser with pureed avocado was brought to us. I loved the addition of avocado but agreed with Sarah that it needed more crunch in the texture somewhere. 
Next up was a savoury selection including a smoked salmon, cream cheese and dill roulade and a miniature gala pie made with Yorkshire pork, quals egg and herbs. Both were really tasty and I liked the emphasis on local ingredients. 
Cocktails finished, we were brought our tea choices. After much humming and ahhing I decided on the Ceylon blue saphire tea, which was delicious but not after I’d let it set too long after having a couple cups, rookie mistake. I swapped to the china rose petal tea later and it was so good I brought some home with me. Sarah went for the lemongrass and ginger tisane and was rewarded for her choice with a gorgeous see through teapot showing off the contents. 
Tea pouring is very serious business. Look at that concentration.
Then the piece de resistance arrived, the all mighty tea stand. As far as afternoon teas go, the Lady Betty is a beauty. 
We started with the sandwiches, little twists on traditional classics-egg mayonnaise, coronation chicken, and Yorkshire ham and tomato pate which was my resounding favourite. I’d have been greedy and gotten more (we were offered more, it was allowed!) if we didn’t have the rest of the stand to work through. 
Next we attacked the scones which had two options, a classic sultana scone and a Yorkshire lavender scone. They were perfectly small and tasty, and we made pretty quick work of both of them, loading them with clotted cream and special strawberry jam. 
We had to take a break before reaching for the top tier because although everything is in small perfectly formed bites, it fills you up! There was a piano player in the opposite corner of the room to where we were sat who was playing throughout our tea, which created the nicest relaxing ambiance. He even offered up a smile when I tried to stealthily take his photo. 
The top sweet tier included a chocolate and raspberry square, strawberry macaron, chocolate and praline slice, fresh berry meringue, mini battenburg, and a choux pastry filled with orange flavoured creme which neither of us thought very highly of. Too much orange essence I think. The chocolate and hazelnut slice was my favourite, with rich chocolate and a crunchy texture in there somewhere. I did think the berry merengue won best presentation though.
The last little surprise brought over to the table were two tins of Bettys special blend tea, which I thought was a really nice touch.
You can’t leave Bettys without perusing the shop, full of gorgeous sweets, cakes, and rows of tea and coffee. I mentioned earlier that I bought some of the China rose petal tea to take home with me, and I also filled a small box with macarons. We rolled ourselves out of Bettys just in time for the rain to stop so we could have a snoop in some of the shops in Harrogate.The Lady Betty afternoon tea is a new addition and is £32.95 per person, or £39.95 per person with a glass of champagne or the rhubarb cocktail. As I said above, it’s only available in York and Harrogate Friday-Sun, or you can book it for a private function outside these days.
It is a bit pricier than the normal Bettys afternoon tea which is a more reasonable £18.75 per person or £26.50 with a glass of champagne. However, you do get more food, a wider selection, and a better tea selection, not to mention impeccable service as the rooms are used exclusively for the Lady Betty afternoon tea. Not to mention the emphasis on using fresh Yorkshire ingredients, I love it when businesses use whats around them and promote other local businesses.
I couldn’t fault it really, and loved our sweet waitress who we had a chat with every time she brought us something new. If it’s still on when my Mom next comes to visit I wouldn’t hesitate to take her as a special treat as it’s so quintessentially English.
Have you ever been to Bettys for afternoon tea?
*We received a complimentary afternoon tea as Sarah was invited to review it, but all opinions are my honest own. Check out Sarah’s post here*
