Whatever day you pass by Bettys Tea Room at Harrogate you can guarantee there will be a queue of people eagerly waiting to sample the delights of this historic temple of culinary delights.

A family business since 1919 Bettys was founded on the dreams of a young Swiss boy, Frederick. Life dealt little Frederick a cruel hand: orphaned at a young age in a fire at his father’s mill in the tiny Swiss village of Wangen-an-der-Aare, he was then sold to the highest bidder as farm labour.

While Frederick’s story got off to a shaky start, his passion for baking and confectionery changed the course of his life and led him to England where in 1919 Bettys was born.

He settled in the spa town of Harrogate and styled himself as a ‘Chocolate Specialist’ and it was here that his luck started to change. He fell in love and later married his landlady’s daughter and with the financial support of her family the first Betty’s was open for business.

The combination of mouth-watering Swiss confectionery and Yorkshire hospitality in an elegant setting proved irresistible and Bettys was an instant success and soon was able to boast of ‘Royal and Distinguished Patronage’ on its letterheads.

Over the next two decades Frederick opened more branches in Yorkshire including a flagship branch in York modelled on the Queen Mary cruise liner.

Famous for their afternoon teas Bettys also has an equally popular lunch and breakfast menu that entices customers from all over the world and now Betty’s have introduced a new and exciting concept at both Harrogate and York – Evening Dining.

On three evenings – Thursday, Friday, Saturday you are able to enjoy Evening Dining from 6pm util 9pm. The menu is full of new dishes including sharing plates including a Yorkshire Charcuterie. (See main picture)

There are new dishes on the special menu for you to enjoy plus there’s live piano music to give that edge to your meal plus some cheeky cocktails to add a touch of the 20’s atmosphere to your meal.

Betty’s is renown for its old style service and rightly so. There is crisp white linen, silver cutlery, china and sparkling crystal glasses and your server is attentive to your wishes. They also know their product and go to great lengths to describe any dish you may be considering and present the food at the table in the old style way.

We were spoilt for choice selecting our meal from the menu so we ordered a glass of wine opting for the Sortilege – a refreshing rose wine from Pinot Noir vines and we were not disappointed.

For starters my colleague chose the Mushroom Pate. The pate was rich and flavourful and very smooth in texture. It was a generous portion and perfectly paired with Swiss stick croutons and a mixed leaf salad.

I opted for the Harrogate Blue, Pear and Prosciutto Crudo Salade. Again this was a very large portion. The creamy blue cheese prosciutto crudo and pickled pear and tossed salad leaves were a virtual banquet of a starter. The cheese blended beautifully with the pear and the red wine vinaigrette, which the salad was tossed with, was so tasty and added so much to the dish.

I decided on the Chicken Schnitzel and  was over the moon with my choice. The Yorkshire chicken and gruyere cheese was coated in Betty’s breadcrumbs and had been pan fried until golden brown. It had lots of the tasty gruyere cheese and was a very generous size schnitzel. Accompanying it were pomme frites, rocket, cherry tomatoes and Grana Padano cheese.

My colleague decided on the Salmon Salad but this was no ordinary salmon salad. The salmon was cooked to perfection crispy on top and the rest was perfect. It had been pan fried in garlic and herb butter which gave an added flavour. The dish came with a mixed green salad with a light Swiss dressing.  We shared a portion of Rosti Bites, which have become our must go to dish on the menu when eating at Betty’s. They were as usual top class made with crispy fried grated potato and served with sun-dried tomato mayonnaise these are a really delicious side dish to any meal.

We had saved ourselves for the sweet course – as one cannot come to Bettys Café without having a cake or patisserie.

My colleague chose the Carrot Gugelhupf and loved it. The carrot sponge cake was moist  and full of sultanas and coated with water icing, decorated with light frosting and dark chocolate and the Bettys Signature Logo on the top.

I have to admit I have become rather addictive to Bettys Ice Cream Sundaes over the years. I  always joke I need a booster seat to reach the top of my  Heaven on a Plate that has obviously been made in the Angels Kitchen.

This time I tried Bettys Fruit Sundae  as usual served  in a tall sundae glass. It  consisted of mixed berries in a raspberry sauce with vanilla and strawberry ice cream and was finished off with a mountain of whipped cream. As usual I thought I’d never finish it but I did.

Bettys have added a new chapter to their already historic tea rooms with evening dining and long may it continue. The restaurant was full of guests, as usual from literally all over the globe all their to enjoy this new and successful concept.

Evening Dining is available at both the Harrogate and York establishments on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday.  Booking is advised for evening dining although there is a walk-in option. For opening hours of both places please visit www.bettys.co.uk

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