
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…
- 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.
Image from bettys.co.uk - There’s six Café Tea Rooms across Yorkshire (two in Harrogate, two in York, one in Ilkley and one in Northallerton.
- Curry was served in the Belmont room in York.
- Bettys Instagram feed is deliciously magical making me very hungry every time I look at it.
Image from instagram.com/bettys1919/ - Bettys Macaroon’s still use the same ingredients as medieval times.
- 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.
Image from bettys.co.uk - 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.
- The Belmont room in York is inspired by the Queen Mary ship after Frederick and his wife took the maiden voyage in 1936.
Image from bettys.co.uk - It’s a family owned business.
- 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.
- You can jump the queue. If you book the reservation only Lady Betty Afternoon Tea.
- In the 1960’s Bettys opened a cool espresso bar on Street Lane in Leeds.
Image from bettys.co.uk - Bettys York basement was nicknamed ‘the dive’ and airmen in WWII used it to plan secret missions whilst chatting up the waitresses.
- Bettys and Taylors have planted over three million tress world wide!
- Bettys specialties are made in their bakery in Harrogate.
Image from bettys.co.uk - No one knows who Bettys is or even if she was a real person.
- Bettys Cafe Tea Rooms serve Fish & Chips and they are one of the best!
- You can learn all about Bettys yourself at the Cookery School.
- The Fat Rascal has had babies called the Cheeky Little Rascals and feature Cherry & Almond, Double Chocolate and Orange & Sultana.
- 10,000 Fat Rascals are made every week.
- 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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Hi, I’ve been to “Bettys” – Harroate and Ilkley- many times as I have a lot of family in the area. I’ve always been a bit irritated about the lack of apostrophe, and have just read that it was lost about 50 years ago because it was believed to look better!
Surely it’s time that it was found again, because it would be definitely be correct… and look fabulous! Do you have any plans for a search party?! I’ll happily be at the front!
Hello Jayne,
Thank you ever so for the comment. Bettys for a lot of people is a family favourite. Yes, the lack of apostrophe has a lot of customers complexed. Bettys says, “Bettys lost its apostrophe around fifty years ago, so the exact explanation is lost in time. It’s generally believed that the name was thought to look better without one – more distinctive, less messy – and as a brand name was not subject to the same rules as everyday words. Many trademarks and brand names eschew the rules for similar such reasons, even more so now thanks to the rise of the internet. Taylors has never had an apostrophe as the ‘s’ is a plural to reflect the fact that various family members were involved in the company.” so there you have it. not much of an explanation but happy to get my apostrophe hunting wellies on! Best wishes, Vix x