20 things you might not know about Bettys

There’s a lot more to this quintessentially English Café Tea Room than you think. So here’s 20 things you might not have known…

1. Our dear Bettys is nearly 100 year’s old. The cafe opened in 1919 by a gentleman called Frederick Belmont. The Original Café  was round the corner from the Harrogate Café you see today.

   

2. There’s six Café Tea Rooms across Yorkshire (two in Harrogate, two in York, one in Ilkley and one in Northallerton.
3. Curry was served in the Belmont room in York.
4. Bettys Instagram feed is deliciously magical making me very hungry every time I look at it.

   

5. Bettys Macaroon’s still use the same ingredients as medieval times.
6. Bettys has a Swiss heritage but Yorkshire roots. Frederick Belmont originated from Switzerland where he was orphaned at a young age. After traveling his way through France learning his trade as a baker and confectioner he landed in England and found his way to Bradford. Later he secured a job with Farrah Toffee, fell in love with a Yorkshire lass, and the rest they say is history.

   

7. Bettys Spiced Christmas Hot Chocolate is the best I’ve ever tasted. Made with Swiss chocolate and topped with a cinnamon and nutmeg dust. Only served at certain times of the year.
8. The Belmont room in York is inspired by the Queen Mary ship after Frederick and his wife took the maiden voyage in 1936.

   

9. It’s a family owned business.
10. Bettys has no apostrophe. Betty lost its apostrophe around fifty years ago. It is believed that the name was thought to look better without one – more distinctive, less messy.
11. You can jump the queue. If you book the reservation only Lady Betty Afternoon Tea.
12. In the 1960’s Bettys opened a cool espresso bar on Street Lane in Leeds.

    

13. Bettys York basement was nicknamed ‘the dive’ and airmen in WWII used it to plan secret missions whilst chatting up the waitresses.
14. Bettys and Taylors have planted over three million tress world wide!
15. Bettys specialties are made in their bakery in Harrogate.

    

16. No one knows who Bettys is or even if she was a real person.
17. Bettys Cafe Tea Rooms serve Fish & Chips and they are one of the best!
18. You can learn all about Bettys yourself at the Cookery School.
19. The Fat Rascal has had babies called the Cheeky Little Rascals and feature Cherry & Almond, Double Chocolate and Orange & Sultana.
20. 10,000 Fat Rascals are made every week.
21. OK, so technically it’s 21 things you might not know about Bettys but this isn’t about Bettys but more about myself. I work for Bettys and have done for most of my life. In 2006 Bettys opened a Cafe Tea Rooms at the RHS Garden Harlow Carr where I became a waitress. I left in 2008 to travel and start a proper career, little did I know that career was back at Betty. In 2009 I returned not in PR but HR but I soon made my way over to PR in 2011. Now I work in the Internal Communications team which is rather fun.

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