Eating Out: Vegetarian Afternoon Tea at Betty’s, Harrogate

Last Sunday, amidst a rather confusing mix of sunshine and rain, I hopped on the bus up to Harrogate to meet up with my favorite Harrogate lady, Amandine. I was particularly excited, not only because it’s always such a pleasure to see Amandine, but also because we were booked in for (my first ever) afternoon tea at Betty’s Tea Rooms.

No doubt anyone who has heard even the slightest thing about Harrogate will be familiar with Betty’s; in fact, it is such an institution, I’d bet it might be the only thing some people know about Harrogate. There’s rarely a time when  you won’t find a queue snaked around the outside of the tea rooms waiting for their pick of the 50 different teas and 300 types of bread, cake and chocolate on offer.

Betty’s was founded in 1919 so their one hundred year anniversary is not too far in the future. With more traditional establishments, I’m never sure what to expect on the meat-free front so I was delighted to hear that it is possible to order a fully vegetarian afternoon tea at Betty’s.

Since we were booked in for our afternoon tea at 11:30am we got to sneak in past the already growing queue. We arrived a little early and took a wander around the shop downstairs which is filled with goodies to take home. Once upstairs in the Imperial Suite, we were seated in the bay window with views of the beautiful Montpellier gardens in one direction, views of the opulent dining room in the other, and within earshot of the resident pianist.

Once our coats were taken and we were seated, the staff presented us with a choice of Champagnes and a full menu of tea. We opted for the Champagne with rhubarb syrup – a delicate but not too sweet addition to the wine – and then the food began to arrive. For my first tea, I tried the dreamy and highly recommended China Rose Petal.
The vegetarian afternoon tea consisted of a tomato salsa with avocado cream, two small appetisers, a selection of sandwiches including beautifully presented swirls of cucumber with cream cheese, two varieties of scone, and three gorgeous cakes each.

Every moment throughout the afternoon was photo-worthy and both the attention to detail in the presentation and the service was impeccable. At £39.95 per person, the Lady Betty Champagne Afternoon Tea certainly is a treat rather than an everyday lunch, but I left feeling that it had been as much about the experience as it had been about the food.

I couldn’t help but think that if I ever have any friends visit from abroad, then Betty’s would be top of the list – I’m not sure it gets much more English than this!

Have you ever visited Betty’s Tea Rooms or had afternoon tea? Let me know what you thought in the comments!

I was a guest at Betty’s for this review but all photos, thoughts and opinions are my own.