To York on the hottest day of the year for a magazine assignment for Immediate Media.
It was a special birthday party.
This year marks 100 years of Bettys Tea Room Cafe, a Yorkshire institution for its afternoon teas with a frisson of Swiss style.
Plus the fact it has done away with its possessive apostrophe.
The Swiss baker, Frederick Belmont, first founded the company in 1919, creating a niche in Yorkshire for high-quality cakes and pastries, served the old-fashioned way.
Today, the third generation of the family runs the business with two Bettys in York, including the Art Deco-style café at St Helen’s Square, plus the first café in Harrogate.
The company is hosting a series of events, and offering special souvenirs, as part of the year-long centenary celebration.
A recreation of one of Frederick’s famous cakes currently takes pride of place in Bettys front window [pictured above].
But the must–try treat is a Yorkshire Fat Rascal, Betty’s signature fruit scone, served warm with a pot of Taylors tea.
I combined afternoon tea with a visit to York Minster and stroll around the walls, the resulting city-break guide to York due out this winter — watch this space.
More: Visit York
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