The Bettys Blog

There are a host of new flavours and seasonal treats to be found at Bettys this autumn. Enjoy tempting specialities in our Café Tea Rooms, or take home your favourite goodies from our shops.

There’s no denying it: autumn is peeking around the corner, heralding a more crisp and colourful world. With senses sharpened, it’s time to relish rich flavours and tantalising aromas, or to indulge yourself with treats only found at this time of year. So dig out your favourite jumper and prepare to dive into our leaf-pile of magical treats.

As part of Ilkley Literature Festival, Bettys Ilkley is proud to be hosting a reading and two course supper with author and cleric David Wilbourne, who'll be discussing his charming new book Shepherd of Another Flock.

Sam Gibson's official title is Ethical Projects Officer, but she often refers to herself as 'The Tree Lady'. That's because she manages our Trees for Life projects, keeping alive a commitment to tree planting that goes back to 1990, when Bettys set out to plant 3 million trees around the world. Here, she explores the impact of one of our most recent projects, Seedlings at Schools, as it draws to a close.

From tea top-ups to the best seat in the house: we asked the real Bettys experts – the people who have been coming to our Café Tea Rooms for years – to share their insider knowledge and tips.

When I taste Yorkshire Wolds Pressed Apple Juice for the first time, I realise that I’ve never actually tasted apple juice before. Not real apple juice. Smooth, sweet, mellow, moreish – this is a far cry from the tart acid green drink that we’re all accustomed to.

Celebrate Yorkshire Day with perfect Yorkshire Puddings. Not sure how? Lisa Bennison has been with Bettys for over 30 years. Who better to guide you?

January can sometimes be thought of as a month in which indulgence and eating pleasure should be put aside. But eating well doesn't need to be a test of endurance - for us, it's a time to acknowledge our love of natural ingredients and proper cooking. It's about wholesomeness rather than abstinence.

Some people love fruit cake. Some swear by dark chocolate. And some can’t get enough of our Rose & Violet Creams. But, as we slowly sink our teeth through a delicious layer of sweet, soft icing to the moist sponge and rich buttercream beneath, there’s one thing we know for sure - everyone loves Fondant Fancies.

'The grumpy pig'. Sounds rather like a pub name, doesn't it? But actually we're referring to this fellow, spotted in Bettys Ilkley. How did he come upon his grumpy expression? Was it mischief in our Craft Bakery or simply a delightful accident? We'll never know, but head to Bettys to see if you can find your own grumpy pig. Made from Genoese sponge with vanilla buttercream and covered with marzipan, we can guarantee one thing: you won't feel grumpy after eating one.

At our Craft Bakery in Harrogate we make around 10,000 of our iconic Yorkshire Fat Rascals every week – that’s more than two million since we launched them in 1983. Whether enjoyed with a cup of tea at our Café Tea Rooms or delivered freshly baked to your door, Fat Rascals are one of our most popular treats.

We always think that a good tea is for life - not just for National Tea Day. Which is why we put so much hard work into making sure our house tea is so deliciously satisfying.

For us, January is all about making thoughtful decisions about indulgences – ensuring that our treats count rather than abstaining from treats entirely. Take our beautifully light macaroons, for example. Their deliciousness brightens this winter month, and you can enjoy them safe in the knowledge that they are made properly, with natural ingredients. Oh, and one very special addition…

It was a bright blue day and the sun shone from an aquamarine sky as we travelled across the roaring roads, through the old silent churchyard, beside the bending, bubbling river and across the wobbly bridge to get to the edge of the deep woods.

The Master Bakers at Bettys have dressed up their butter biscuit bears as a tribute to the album that changed music forever.

Spring is now definitely here with the mornings getting lighter and the weather getting warmer. The trees that we planted back in November are now starting to have buds on and are getting some leaves. The first Bluebells are starting to open up and summer is only a light breeze away. It is a great time of year with everything feeling fresh and born again ready for the new season.

Seek out these seasonal treats in the fancy counters in our six Café Tea Rooms shops. Cute and highly nibble-able, we created these portable portions of pure deliciousness to put a smile on your face.

Our Cookery School chefs created this tasty and healthy dish to celebrate one of our favourite flavours: asparagus. It's in season now so pick up a bunch and try your hand at a simple-to-make spring supper. You can also visit our Café Tea Rooms where we've created a host of asparagus dishes - check the specials board.

Bettys is helping to plant 20,000 trees with the National Trust in the Yorkshire Dales as part of a project to restore a more natural habitat to the area and play a part in flood mitigation.