It began with just one tree. We planted it outside Bettys Harrogate in 1990 - and since then, we've planted 5 million around the world (and there's plenty more to come). If you're a Bettys and Taylors customer, thank you! Our Trees for Life project blossomed because of you.
These wickedly naughty little loaf cakes are truly made in Yorkshire. They combine the expert baking knowledge of Lisa Bennison, one of our most experienced Cookery School tutors and a Yorkshire lass through and through, with the irresistible flavours of Harrogate’s very own Slingsby Gin. What’s the saying? One for the cake, one for me…
Did you know that our giant handmade Imperial Easter Eggs continue a tradition stretching back over a century to the birth of Bettys? Our founder, Frederick Belmont, created lavish Easter eggs which were ornately decorated with hand-piped icing. Though we didn't create one in 2020, we thought you might enjoy looking back at four designs from recent years.
If you're finding that you have a little more time on your hands than usual and you fancy getting crafty this Easter, we're here to help. Robyn Cox is Bettys’ ‘Head of Beautiful’ and creates our lovely window displays. Now he’s turned his attention to beautifying your home this Easter with these three styling suggestions.
Swiss Rösti is one of our most famous and popular dishes. To understand why it's on our menu you have to go back to 1885 and a little town called Lindenbach near Bern, Switzerland. That's where our founder, Frederick Belmont, was born. He later travelled to England and in 1919 opened the first Bettys. He filled it with continental specialities – a tradition we continue to this day.
Sometimes our curious bakers surprise even themselves. ‘What would happen,’ they wondered, ‘if we crossed a macaroon with a hot cross bun?’
The steps we're taking to keep customers and colleagues safe at this time.
Not only do we use ground almonds in our Mother’s Day Cake recipe to make it deliciously moist, but we’ve gathered together years of mum wisdom to ensure each cake bakes perfectly.
We all have our own Bettys favourites – those treats that you return to again and again, safe in the knowledge that they’ll be every bit as delicious as the last time. But what would your mum choose as her Bettys favourite?
How do our Gooey Rascals get that heavenly chocolate caramel centre? We think we've found the answer!
In 2019 we pledged £100,000 to tree-planting projects in Yorkshire as part of our centenary celebrations. Now we’re happy to announce that we’ve extended the Trees for Life Fund for a further year.
A rich, gooey fudge cake recipe that will make you very popular among your chocoholic friends.
Annie Gray is a historian, cook, lecturer, broadcaster, writer and consultant. She specialises in the history of food and dining in Britain from around 1600 to the present day, and earlier this year she spent considerable time immersing herself in Bettys to be able to write our new book, From the Alps to the Dales – 100 Years of Bettys.
Last month, we were delighted to welcome His Excellency Alexandre Fasel, The Ambassador of Switzerland, and his wife Nicole to afternoon tea at Bettys Harrogate. The Ambassador took away a copy of our new book From the Alps to the Dales - 100 Years of Bettys to keep in the Embassy salon.
Sunday 24th November is 'Stir Up Sunday', when families traditionally gather together to make Christmas puddings and cakes. This recipe has been handed down to Lesley Wild by her mother. It makes a beautifully moist and colourful cake which can be decorated with glacé fruits - a lovely centrepiece for the family Christmas table.
Meet our new book! From the Alps to the Dales – 100 Years of Bettys is written by the brilliant Annie Gray and is available in our branches and online now.
We wanted our windows to celebrate 100 years of Christmas magic, so we set our cake decorating team their biggest challenge yet - to recreate the whole of Bettys!
As their success in taste tests year after year shows, we take mince pies seriously here at Bettys, and all of ours are made using a bespoke mincemeat recipe that we perfected four decades ago.
You might be forgiven for thinking that an unforgettable Christmas is all about grand spectacles: the turkey, the pudding, the cake, the tree. But here at Bettys, we know that there’s just as much joy to be found in perfecting the little things.
Have you ever gazed at a display of Christmas cakes and felt just the tiniest twinge of regret that you could only choose one? Then we have something that you’ll love. Our Christmas Cake Selection comprises a trio of festive fruit cakes, each one featuring a traditional design to become a miniature masterpiece of our craft.
Enticing and exquisite chocolates have been a part of our Bettys tradition since the beginning. Before that, even: when he opened the very first Bettys Café Tea Room in Harrogate in 1919, our founder Frederick Belmont could already style himself ‘Chocolate Specialist’, having refined his skills studying with the master confectioners of Switzerland and Paris.
As an increasingly popular complement to festive plates of mince pies, you might view stollen as something of an indulgence. Possibly even a slightly wicked one. But the rich, fruity spiced bread has fans in surprisingly holy places. Originating in Germany, the oldest record of stollen being enjoyed as a Christmas treat dates back to Italy in 1545, where church dignitaries tucked in at the ecumenical Council of Trent.
