Betty’s, Parliament Street, Harrogate (01423 877300)
A northern institution, Betty’s is to tea what Harry Ramsden’s is to fish and chips. The identity of Betty is a closely guarded secret, for reasons that are unclear to almost everyone; but the menu does admit that it was founded by the grandfather of the current owner, a Swiss confectioner who ended up in Yorkshire, quite understandably, by mistake.
The place
Lots of wood panelling, swirly carpet and waitresses in black-and-white uniforms. It’s popular with OAPs, drinking tea with their Welsh rarebit, and lunching mothers having a sneaky glass of ros? with their chicken salad. You can’t book, and there’s invariably a queue, but it moves quickly. Don’t leave without buying coffee, cheese straws or pikelets from the shop.
The food
The menu is not for the faint-hearted, but then few people are round here: the first page alone offers Swiss Alpine Macaroni, local Masham sausages with r?sti, fish, chips and mushy peas (sorry, “pea pur?e”), and a bacon and gruyère croissant. Afternoon tea is taken seriously: the traditional full-English (£10.75) is a multiple-choice sandwich/scone/cake affair. Thrillingly, tea loaves and teacakes are differentiated (how? why?) and given their own sections on the menu, with separate lists of pâtisserie, cakes, traditional cakes, toasts and breads. This is not a place for noncey Southerners doing Atkins. William, being neither, is drawn to a Yorkshire Fat Rascal, £3 (“it’s a giant cakey thing with cherry eyes and you get it hot with butter”). Amber has ice-cream (three scoops with choice of sauce, £4.45). Their aunt eats top-notch chips (£2.45). A prawn and avocado sandwich (£4.90) is a model of its kind. There are 11 teas, nine coffees, and the house wine is Swiss (£3.80 a glass).
The service
Pleasant and efficient. Betty’s is not a children’s restaurant, but it’s child-friendly and unfazed by mess or noise. The disarray generated by William and his Fat Rascal were politely ignored.
Early starters
A family guide to eating out