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Saturday 3 July 2010

Bettys Café Tea Rooms

Ilkley is one of four towns in Yorkshire that has a 'Bettys Café Tea Rooms'. (The others are in York, Harrogate and Northallerton.) Bettys is a family business dating back to 1919, when a young Swiss confectioner called Frederick Belmont came to England, intending to open a café on the south coast. The story goes that he took the wrong train and ended up in Yorkshire but, liking it, he decided to stay. There is a mystery over who Betty was, with several possible explanations.

Bettys prides itself on its traditional menu and attention to detail. The waitresses all wear uniform with white lace-trimmed aprons. It is THE best place for Afternoon Tea, with a selection of small sandwiches and cakes served on pretty china, and a wide range of unusual and specialist teas to choose from. It's also a good place for a leisurely Sunday brunch with the newspapers. (It is rather an expensive treat but one that I sometimes consider myself worthy of!) You can also buy their delicious breads and cakes to take home with you. The Tea Rooms in Ilkley has a very attractive dining room, with the largest marquetry picture ever made - a medieval hunting scene called La Chasse, made in Alsace entirely of unstained wood veneers.

In my photo, reflected in the shop window, you can see the Ilkley bandstand in the park opposite. For other participants in 'Weekend Reflections', hosted by James at Newtown Area Photo, click this link.

23 comments:

  1. Looks like a delightful place! And what a terrific shot for the day. Wonderful reflections! Hope you have a lovely weekend!

    Sylvia

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  2. Sounds fun, I like the minatures offered.That way you can have more than one item to try.My sweets overpower my will usually.

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  3. Lovely photo and I very much enjoyed your description of Betty's. Sounds like a wonderful place to take a treat.

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  4. That sounds and looks delicious. Have a nice weekend

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  5. looks like a lovely place for afternoon tea!

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  6. This looks like the perfect tea spot! While in London last year we had a hard time finding a place that did traditional tea time (not that we knew what to look for!).

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  7. Tea time is the best time of the day. Greetings from Luzia.

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  8. That sounds delightful and I smiled at the thought of the wrong train!!

    I remember a question on The Weakest Link once; 'The M27 runs from Southampton to which south coast town?'

    And the contestents answer? Leeds!!

    I didn't know whether to laugh or cry :)

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  9. I have been to York, wonderful tea rooms. I like the reflection of the bandstand in the background.

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  10. Delightful Cafe'
    And I can see you in the reflection : )

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  11. Very nicely done. You pay attention to detail as well.

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  12. I love the idea of the waitresses wearing 'uniforms'! I used to like seeing them in the old days. All very yummy!

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  13. Ah Betty's..fond memories!The one in Harrogate, I can picture it now!

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  14. Such a lovely Tea Cafe.
    Great reflections!

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  15. Your photo is lovely, but it's your description that makes it sound like a truly wonderful place! I've never "had tea" my whole life.

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  16. I could just go a cup of tea there right now. Great reflections.

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  17. This is the only Bettys I haven't visited, and it sounds fascinating, with that marquetry picture - it's now on my "must-do" list.

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  18. Many moons ago we went to the one in York.

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  19. That went off too fast, it was meant to have a :-) at the end!!

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  20. Oooh never mind the reflection, I could murder a scone. So what it's the middle of the morning? :

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  21. I love window reflections. you look at one world and then can dream of another you see reflecting.

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