When we first arrived in the town of Harrogate in Northern Yorkshire, we were super tired from an all night flight with no sleep (mostly because we were sitting in front of the bathroom which was a revolving door, plus the scary event of a guy fainting at my feet after he came out of said bathroom), a connecting flight from Munich, then a long drive from the airport in Manchester. We were happy to arrive at The Crown Hotel, a 300 year old hotel built in the spa town of Harrogate.
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| The Crown Hotel. |
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| Lobby of The Crown Hotel |
We were hungry for some real food. I knew, however that sustenance was not far away. Just up the street was Bettys, a famous tea room, that in addition to afternoon tea, serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner as well. So we took our sleepy selves for a walk and found the most beautiful windows! They definitely draw you in!
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| Windows of Bettys Tea Room |
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| Windows of Bettys Tea Room. |
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Bettys Harrogate.
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I have arrived. If I do nothing else or see nothing else in Yorkshire, I am fine. I have gone to
Bettys! The waitress was very welcoming, and you could tell by her warm smile that she really liked working at Bettys. After dinner, she asked if we would like dessert. I did not want anything too sweet. She suggested a Yorkshire curd tart. I had never heard of this before, but it sounded intriguing. It has a sweet pastry crust, and is filled with Yorkshire curd cheese, butter, currants, nutmeg, and a little lemon curd. It was one of her favorites, -very traditional. -Sounded perfect! And it was.
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| Yorkshire Curd Tart. |
It was slightly sweet with a hint of lemon. Each bite had the sweetness of the little currants too. The texture was custard-like with cheese curd incorporated into it, which made it slightly more dense than a regular custard. I felt like I was eating something very cherished from this part of Northern England.
People were friendly too! We started chatting with the people at the table next to us. Maybe because they heard I was interested in the Yorkshire Curd Tart. We talked about all sorts of things: food, where they visited in the United States, what to see in Yorkshire, where they were from, politics, and music (they were opera singers!). It was a great start to the trip.
We had a wonderful time in Yorkshire. The people are warm and inviting, and the countryside is beautiful! After a too-short week of adventures it was time to go home, and I had to go to Bettys one more time. (Be sure to see my Afternoon Tea Adventure
here) I was excited to have the same waitress greet us that we had on our first day there. She remembered me and what I had ordered! I asked her if I could have an eccles cake. It was not on the menu, but I saw them in the shop. She smiled and said that was her "other" favorite. Her grandmother used to make them when she was little.
It is also very traditional. It is a round cake made with a flaky, buttery pastry and filled with currants. When I bit into it the most magnificant butter flavor came from the sugar topped pastry. The balance of it all was perfect. The filling was moist, fruity, chewy, and delicious. I chose well!
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| Eccles Cake. |
I thanked our waitress for sharing her childhood memories with us, and told her it was very special. Her eyes twinkled as she smiled at me, appreciating that I knew how treasured those memories were.
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