I seem to be having afternoon teas quite abit lately – I think ever since we went to Sherlock’s I had been thinking about afternoon teas and all its fixings every weekend. Tea, cake, scone, sandwiches…yummyumms…love it. So when we found ourself in Ilkley way last weekend, we stopped at Betty’s, the ubiquitious grande dame of the north in afternoon teas. The last time I had tea at Betty’s was in 2005 – on my first visit to the UK

The one in Ilkley is actually a branch – with the original one in York. It is much brighter than the one in York which is in a windowless basement. Very bright with windows overlooking a busy street, perfect for people watching an afternoon away. Perhaps it just all looks nicer due to the record temperature we’ve been having.

We weren’t hungry (having just had lunch at 2, we were at betty’s for 5), so we just ordered the Bettys Traditional Afternoon Tea to share between the both of us. Not being a cheapskate, but I was gagging for ice cold water, and I just basically ordered that.

I love the silverware..it just spells opulence and ladies-that-lunch. The traditional afternoon teaset came with really, enough tea for two (we got about 5 cups of tea between us, with just that teapot for one)

This was the piece de resistance…the tiffin of yummies

Breaking it all down, at the bottom tiffin was the yummy combo of sanwiches with smoked salmon and yorkshire ham. You get a choice of two- salmon, ham, tuna, chicken or egg. The smoked salmon is the best sandwich I’ve ever had…ever. The ham was so-so, the smoked salmon really took the proverbial cake.

The second layer consisted of a fruit scone, clotted cream & strawberry preserves. To be honest, this was only passable, despite setting the standards for afternoon teas. Maybe it’s just because I’ve had better at Sherlock’s – fluffy, buttery, soft…..sigh. The preserves was slightly too sweet for me as well, maybe I just didn’t slap enough clotted cream on it.

The top layer of ‘mini cakes’. I love it, this is where Betty’s lived up to their name. It consisted of a lemon macaroon, a summer fruit tartlet and a square of chocolate coffee cake. The fruits on the fruit tartlet was fresh, juicy and sweet; the lemon macaroon light and airy, and the chocolate coffee cake soft, moist and light. Yumz. I could’ve easily have all of them in their normal size…well, except for the macaroon.

At £15.75 per set, this is quite a good way to splurge out on your cash if you’re spending all afternoon chatting over tea and nibbles. Although it’s so yummy I doubt that you can linger over it for too long! If you’re not too hungry like us, splitting it between two person still makes it fairly adequate.

Betty’s Cafe Tea Rooms
32 The Grove
Ilkley
LS29 9EE
Telephone: +44(0)1943 608029

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