A Tale of Tea Sittings

YB and I recently spent a few days in York. It's a lovely place but so very cold in February and we will probably return again but at a warmer time of the year. However the cold did give us the excuse to visit a couple of tea rooms.

Now, Afternoon Tea is an indulgence, no doubt about it, and when one has set one's foot on the road to indulgence, that is exactly what one wants.

The first visit was to the Earl Grey Tearooms set in the picturesque Shambles. You enter through a shop which filled is filled with interesting preserves and teas and are taken into an attractive tearoom with historic beams and a general medieval feel. We ordered the Cream Tea and when it arrived, oh the disappointment!! We were each given 2 large very stodgy scones, a 50g jar of Frank Cooper red jam and a small portion of clotted cream, still in its manufacturer's tub, and also, strangely, some butter. Well, the scones were far too big to be light and soft and to compensate they had far too much raising agent in them which leaves that unpleasant after-taste/feel at the back of the teeth. Due to their large size and the stinginess of the cream and jam, you either could only have one adequately dressed scone or a mere scrape on both. What a waste! A whole shop of delicious jams and then this travesty. A score of 3 out of 10 here.

The following day we headed for the famous Betty's in St Helen's Square. Oh, the anticipation.

Betty's was originally founded in Harrogate in 1919 and the decor is reminiscent of that time and has the feel and grace of an ocean-going liner. We had to queue before we were taken to our seats and we ordered "Betty's Afternoon Tea". We were asked to choose two sandwich fillings from smoked salmon. ham, egg, and roast chicken. We opted for the ham and the smoked salmon. We also chose to Betty's own blend of tea to drink. When our order arrived we were each given a three tier cake stand. On the top were the sandwiches, the second level the scones and on the bottom 3 dainty fancies. The sandwiches were cut into slim fingers are were freshly made and delicious, although the salmon was a little too thick. The scones were as they should be, soft, light and fresh and were accompanied by generous helpings of jam and cream. The 3 fancies were a delightful lemon French Madeleine, a fruit tartlet with 4 different fruits and a small profiterole filled with chocolate. All were lovely except the profiterole which was rather overfilled with a rather heavy butter cream. However this are very minor faults and Betty's deserves a 91/2 out of 10. Well worth the £14.99 per head and we will be going again I am sure. As a souvenir we took home two of the famous Fat Rascals which are similar to a rock cake but much smoother in outline and are absolutely delicious when eaten warm.

Crumbs from the Tea Table

When one is baking it is often difficult to find time to sit and blog and in any case the keyboard gets sticky! But here are a few jottings from the tea shop to bring you up to date;

1. Mincemeat was made (12lb) and Christmas Pud, and either used or given away as gifts so that now there is very little left.

2. Fayre was baked for Christmas Fairs and sold (over £200 raised). Also Nets thinks that we Catholics are a noisy bunch.

3. In the lull between Christmas and the New Year, myself and Young Bunts (YB) threw a tea party for friends and a good time was had and I am happy to report that YB can now make a Victoria Sponge as good as anyone, (see new snazzy banner above).

4. The recipe find of the season was Nigella's Cranberry, White Chocolate and Pecan Cookies. I'm not sure how many batches were made and consumed but it has been declared "The best cookie recipe ever" by more than one group of people.

5. The inevitable Lemon Drizzle was made to celebrate my birthday. I really think it would be nice to make something else but this fail-safe recipe is universally liked and so easy to do.

6. To the tea table collection has been added a fairly-traded flat, but slightly domed plate which is ideal for large cakes which need to be cut and I think it would be perfect for cheesecakes (Tia Maria?) and flans. A mug adorned with a picture of a fairy cake, topped with a glace cherry. This is scary to drink from as one gets the illusion that one's eye is about to be poked out by the cherry. A spatula with hearts on (valentine not offal). An apron with buns/fairy cakes on, ditto a pair of socks. And recently YB came hope with a wonderful 2 tier cake stand decorated with cakes in the most lovely box. Also I have so many cards with cakes on that I think I shall gather them together and get them laminated and use them as place mats for the forthcoming garden party season...