Afternoon Tea at Betty’s Tea Rooms, Harrogate.

If you wish to indulge yourself with the most sumptuous Afternoon Tea, I recommend pre booking the stunning Imperial Suite at Betty’s Tea Room in Harrogate.

One of the great reasons for booking an Afternoon Tea at Betty’s is missing that long queue outside. Walk- ins are happily permitted in the busy ground floor restaurant, but it is lovely to woosh straight past the waiting crowds as you are ushered upstairs into the elegant dining room above.

The Imperial Suite is named after the former Cafe Imperial , a buisness that Betty’s bought in the 1960s after relocating from Cambridge Cresent to Parliament Street. With views over Harrogate’s attractive town centre , the suite is light, airy and exudes sophistication. A pianist serenading the diners adds to the ambience.

The occasion for our visit was a friend’s birthday and what a lovely venue to start off the celebrations. After being seated by a friendly member of staff , the menu was shown and explained to us. Our refreshment choices soon followed , served in gleaming silver teapots.

Betty’s Afternoon Tea arrived displayed on an elegant three tiered cake stand and consisted of a selection of delicate finger sandwiches, two miniature scones accompanied by clotted cream and strawberry preserve and three dainty cakes/desserts. A vegetarian option was chosen by the Birthday Girl and any sandwich fillings not to our preference, were obligingly swapped for an alternative. We were also offered additional sandwiches free of charge.

Dining in the Imperial Suite had been a very leisurely and civilised affair and we all agreed that the food had been delicious too. In fact we couldn’t resist purchasing Fat Rascals and other tasty treats to take home from Betty’s Tea shop afterwards. 🙂

We also visited a couple of eclectic independent shops in Harrogate including vintage store Bo Grove Oxford Street , that sent us back in time to and face to face with our 1970s childhoods. 😍

Have you experienced Afternoon Tea at Betty’s Tea Rooms in Harrogate?

Thanks for dropping by. 🍰

Afternoon Tea at Hindelinis, Gisburn, Lancashire.

Down the rabbit hole we go for an Afternoon Tea inspired by Alice In Wonderland. 🐰

Hindelinis Bar & Restaurant situated at The Ribblesdale Holiday Village on The Gisburne Park Estate is where The Mad Hatters Tea Party currently resides.

All through the Summer, The Mad Hatter’s Afternoon Tea is available here at Hindelinis. Fancy a seat by the cosy fireplace on a blustery day or when the sun shines, there’s a lovely dining area outside, the parks resident peacocks and sika deer are occasionally known to visit.

We were given a table in the comfortable conservatory. Sarah and I chose herbal teas which came served in attractive glassware, the other ladies ordered coffees.

The sumptuous savouries and delectable desserts were prettily presented on slate cake stands. A selection of finger sandwiches, sausage rolls and a smoked haddock arancini to start, whilst the vegetarian option included wild mushrooms on sourdough bread. The striped tea cup contained healthy salad leaves. Maybe to hand out to a passing White Rabbit. 😊

I’m sure the Mad Hatter himself would have approved of the tempting array of sweet treats. These included meringue mushrooms , Queen of Hearts jammy dodger, lusious lemon posset , chocolate brownie, macaroons and a Grenadine Drink Me potion.

There were of course the obligatory scones with clotted cream and jam. As you can imagine, as delicious as the afternoon tea was, doggy bags were definitely needed! The lovely staff provided us with take out boxes for our left over goodies.

Thanks to Sarah for contributing her photos.

Have you ever tried a themed Afternoon Tea?

♠️🐰♦️🍰☕🫖

Afternoon Tea At Cloud Twenty Three ~ Manchester.

Way up high in Manchester’s Beetham Tower, it is almost possible to indulge in Afternoon Tea……….in the clouds. With 47 floors this landmark skyscraper on Deannsgate is the highest building in Manchester. Comprising of 219 luxury apartments and 16 penthouse suites, the tower is also the tallest residential building in Europe. Floors 1 to 23 are occupied by the Hilton Hotel, and it is indeed on the twenty third floor that it’s Cloud 23 Bar is located. Two friends and I caught the train to the big city last Friday for shopping, cocktails and of course Afternoon Tea. 😊

We had ordered the Cocktail Afternoon Tea as one friend had recently celebrated a special birthday. I was immediately struck by the view in the photo above, now that too is special!

It would have been fabulous to have been seated there, but sadly we were shown into the lounge area. I wasn’t too taken with the carpet, which would look more at home at Manchester Airport. And our first seats were not even by the window, fortunately we were moved on request.

The birthday girl soon got to grips with dancing on the table! Joke. 😃 She is in fact stood on a glass walkway ( a bit like a mini version of the ‘ Walk of Faith’ up Blackpool tower) where you can see all the way down to the bottom floor. Eye dizzying.

Our Afternoon Teas came served on easy to carry chrome cake stands. And there was a choice of coffees, tea, infusions or hot chocolate. I chose an iced coffee which was very refreshing.

I must say, I really enjoyed the selection of delicate finger sandwiches, petite cakes and decadent desserts. The chocolate bomb was super indulgence. 😚

Our cocktails arrived and the one I had chosen was certainly theatrical! Metropolis had the wow factor , it came with a fluffy candy floss topping, rather like a cloud. I loved it. ❤️

The Birthday Girls cocktail didn’t have any flare , though tasted fine, our other friends cocktail tasted…medicinal.

The Cocktail Afternoon Tea at Cloud 23, for me , was a 4 out of 5 stars experience. As it cost an eye watering £40 , three girls from a tiny town , escaping for the day to the Big City, had high expectations!

Niggles.

. Afternoon Tea high in the clouds should always be situated with a view, when possible. Happily we were relocated.

. The pattern on the crockery made the inside of the cups look stained. They weren’t, though we think a nicer set should be used.

. The cocktails were hit and miss. Mine was fabulous. The others didn’t have the same wow factor.

. Although I had mentioned my friends birthday on the booking form, our server didn’t refer to this at any point.

So I’m definitely not saying I would never go back, but there’s some room for improvment. I did however love the drama of a panoramic afternoon tea.

View from the Ladies. 🤗

Have you enjoyed Afternoon Tea in the clouds?

March ~ Round Up. 💛

So I am finishing off my month with a little Round-Up. March has been a pretty quiet one but I’m not complaining. Spring made an appearance ( hurrah ! ) and of course, I am just thankful that life here in my little corner of the world is relatively peaceful and uncomplicated. 🌻

READING ~ Just finished Girl A by Abigail Dean. This is a disturbingly dark tale about a young family who are imprisoned in their home on the Moors by their increasingly erratic parents. ‘ Girl A ‘ herself is the one who got away, the girl who escaped her chains and made it out to find help. Years later the children are left the house in their deceased Mother’s will. Can anything good come out of it? ⭐⭐⭐⭐

Julia Garner is not some ‘ Basic B**** in Inventing Anna.

WATCHING ~ For some reason none of the film’s I’ve watched recently have stuck in my mind. Definitely more into TV Shows so far this year. My binge watch faves in March have included Inventing Anna ( Julia Garner is brilliant as scheming New York heiress/con artist/ VIP is always Better Anna Delvey ), Bridgerton Season 2 ( Jane Austin meets Gossip Girl , once again in London’s High Society) and Upload ( comedy drama about a man who yes, looks a bit like a young Tom Cruise, who’m is able to choose his own afterlife after his untimely death). But what can I watch next……..

Afternoon Tea Time.

EATING ~ My first Afternoon Tea of 2022! And hopefully not my last. Enjoyed a sumptuous Afternoon Tea at the impressive Country Manor ‘ Mitton Hall’ in Lancashire. You can read about it here. 🍰.

Tunnel Vision. 😃

WALKING ~ Most of my March walks have been on the outskirts of my hometown of Clitheroe. But during a visit to the caravan we did manage to complete the Keswick Railway Walk which runs between Keswick and the nearby village of Threlkeld. Hopefully April will see me getting back into hill walking and attempting some Wainwright Fells. She says………

Sand Martin’s have returned from Africa.

Enjoying ~ Spring Sunshine ~ Yes we were all lulled into basking in actual warm sunshine 🌞 , then BAM it Snowed! As I turn on the central heating for probably the last time ever ( not out of optimism, but out of dread at April’s fuel cost rises) I will leave you with a few Spring like pics taken when the weather was a little warmer.

Dazzling Daffodils.

Curious Lambs.

Spot the Tiny 🏰 Castle.

Red Flowering Currant.

Hugo and Hyacinths.

Thanks for visiting and if you have any Book/Film/TV/ Walk/ Afternoon Tea recommendations, let me know in the comments. 💛

Afternoon Tea At Mitton Hall.

A friend’s Birthday and her choice of celebration ? Afternoon Tea. I was there! Mitton Hall near Whalley was her destination decision. This impressive country manor dates back to the 15th century and boasts a timber framed great hall with a walk around gallery. Outside to the rear an attractive stone terrace looks out over gardens and the meandering River Ribble.

Mitton Hall from the rear.

Anyone for 🥂 Champagne?

Our sumptuous Afternoon Tea was served in the decadent dining room with its busy wallpaper and portraits of nattily attired canines. Mitton Hall is dog friendly by the way. On this occasion though, I was glad not to have a drooling Labrador waiting to devour my dainty sandwiches and fluffy scones. ☺️

Afternoon Tea ( photo A Garley ).

Keeping an eye out for treats?

Most of us opted for the Traditional Afternoon Tea ( £19-50 per head) which came displayed on an elegant curved stand. The savoury selection was excellent and included three finger sandwiches, smoked mackerel & horseradish pate en croute, caremelised onion tartlet and a mushroom cappuccino, which I especially enjoyed.

Savouries.

Scones on top.

The scones too were delicious and baked to perfection. They came served with the obligatory jam and clotted cream.

Sweet Treats Below.

The sweet treats were a little hit and miss with everyone. I loved the After Eight Brownie and the Blueberry Macaron. The Chestnut & Chocolate Swirl was a bit meh and I wasn’t too keen on the Banoffee Pie or the 3 Leches Sponge. I totally forgot to photograph the tea! I enjoyed my Raspberry & Elderflower.

That Fireplace! ( photo A Mader).

On the Terrace ( photo R Preston).

I have sampled Afternoon Tea at Mitton Hall several times over the years, it’s always a nice place to return to. A relaxing and ideal setting to meet up with friends.

Ps ~ It was still the Winter Menu on our visit.

2021 ~ My Year In Photos.

2021 is a wrap folks! Here’s my usual yearly round-up in photos, of what has been another very Up and Down twelve months.

Snow up Pendle.

January ~ We started the year still in lock-down , the rare snow in my hometown certainly made folk here completely giddy, everyone seemed to head up Pendle Hill for fun in the white stuff. There were sad times too as I lost a family member to covid.

Resting on a Bolton By Bowland walk.

February ~ From what I remember the first few months of 2021 involved lots of chilly local hikes and tramping through lots of mud. But as a certain Black Labrador loves his walks, this didn’t bother us too much. 🙂

A friends Birthday 🎉

March ~ This photo was taken on my friend Fi’s Birthday. We were still in lock-down and I’m not even sure that 3 people from 3 households were supposed to meet up actually. We took cans to a local beer garden and celebrated outdoors, not another soul in sight! Fi says it was one of her best birthdays!

Worsaw wander.

April ~ I remember how good it felt in April when we were officially allowed to meet up for walks in larger groups. An Easter walk took us to Downham via a wander up Worsaw Hill. Also in April we could start using our caravan in the Eden Valley again.

Miles of golden sand , Wells Next The Sea.

May ~ Hurrah, restrictions over and a holiday happened! A week in sunny Norfolk with Wil and Hugo, in a cottage by the sea.

Llama trekking , Brougham Castle.

June ~ It was good to spend a few days at the caravan with friends in June. A Cat cafe, the Lakes Zoo and Llama trekking were amongst the fun times had.

Afternoon Tea in Skipton.

July ~ Enjoyed the most decadent Afternoon Tea with pals this month. Life was truly getting back to normal.

All Aboard The Ratty!

August ~ We were fortunate enough to spend a lovely long weekend in Ravenglass & Eskdale in August. It’s become tradition to ride the Ratty on these occasions. 🙂

A Wainwright Memorial above Blackburn.

September ~ I think my favourite walk in September may well have been a local one to find Alfred Wainwright’s memorial, in the hills above Blackburn.

Pumpkin Patch 🎃🎃

October ~ Unfortunately Wil got sciatica which put a stop to our walks together for a while. Luckily he’s much better now. For once I was faster on my feet than my other half for a change! We went ahead with a mini break in Scotland, but kept our explorations to a minimum.

Birthday 🎂

November ~ Unlike 2020 I got to go out for my Birthday this year. Happy days. 😁

Spot the Slinky.

December ~ Theres been Christmas meet ups with family and friends and so far, touchwood, everyone has stayed safe and healthy. Can you spy my moggie Slinky Malinki in the festive photo above?

Wishing my followers and fellow bloggers a Happy and Healthy 2022.

See you on the other side. X

Afternoon Tea at the Ivy, Leeds.

Hey I’ve been ever so decadent recently and indulged in my second afternoon tea in just eight days. I really can’t resist an afternoon tea invite though, plus it was epic to meet up with friends in lovely Leeds. 🙂

Cocktails in the City ~ The Alchemist , Trinity Centre.

After shopping and cocktails in the city we headed for our reservation at The Ivy. Nowadays The Ivy collection of gorgeous art deco restaurants has spread North from London and countrywide , three having opened in Yorkshire at York, Harrogate & Leeds. The Leeds Ivy is situated in the ornate Victoria Quarter on Vicar Lane.

Victoria Arcade

I have to say I immediately fell in love with the stunning interiors in the Victoria Quarter restaurant. Theres definitely a wow moment as you enter and the upstairs area where Gill had booked us a table is just as stunning. Eye-catching images wherever you look!

Afternoon Tea at The Ivy comes served on a three tier cake stand. This and the crockery and napkins are embellished with a single green ivy leaf, a lovely attention to detail. A choice of hot drinks are included and I chose Peppermint tea.

And what of the tasty treats? We were definitely all impressed with the sweet selection , though maybe an extra sandwich would have been nice. There are three savouries included in this Afternoon Tea. My favourite was the chicken and truffle in a brioche roll.

The cakes were plentiful ( with two scones each, served with jam, strawberries and clotted cream) and I especially enjoyed the chocolate dessert in a plant pot. 🙂

I would definitely recommend The Ivy in Leeds as an afternoon tea destination. And Leeds itself as a great day out with the girls. 🙂 🥂🍰

Thanks to Arwen and Gill for their photo contributions.

Afternoon Tea at King Street Town House ~ Manchester.

Manchester’s trees decorated for Halloween.

Can there be no more decadent birthday celebration than Afternoon Tea? We were spoilt for choice in Manchester recently when exploring options in the city. Eight friends enjoyed a little shopping and cocktails followed by afternoon tea at King Street Town House on Booth Street.

King Street Town House is housed in an impressive Italian Renaissance building, originally the Manchester Salford Trustees Bank. Today it is a rather posh city centre hotel, famed for its seventh floor infinity pool and private wine cellar dining.

King Street Town House.

Our own private dining room.

Afternoon Tea was served on a three tier silver cake stand.

On arrival we were escorted to our own private dining room, one of the resident wine cellars I believe. The ambience was candle lit and cosy , it was certainly a nice touch to inhabit a dining area exclusive to ourselves. Although at times we did feel a little forgotten about by the otherwise attentive staff.

We all opted for the Traditional Afternoon Tea which consists of a sumptuous selection of finger sandwiches, dainty cakes and desserts, and of course the obligitary home baked scones with strawberry jam and clotted cream. I loved how the goodies were decorated with edible flowers and cute Cape gooseberries.

There was a choice of teas and coffees to drink with free refills and out came the mismatched vintage China. Although I don’t make teacup candles anymore, I still love the ritual of drinking tea from a proper teacup. 🙂

Mismatched crockery.

Mouth watering.

A veggie afternoon tea for one.

Look at those goodies!

The Birthday Girl. 🍰

The King Street Townhouse Afternoon Tea is perfect for celebrations. A delectable tea time treat. 😁

Thanks to Ailyn, Louise and Sarah for their photo contributions. 🙂

Hawthorns Photo Scavenger Hunt ~ April.

April has been the perfect month to join in with the Scavenger Hunt! Here’s a few Spring like pics for the prompts. 🙂

Edge ~ This was taken on Good Friday after a lovely walk with friends. We had all been told to decorate some hard boiled eggs for an egg rolling event! Here are the eggs all lined up at the top of a hill and soon to be rolled off the edge. You can probably see Hugo was keeping his beady eye on them. He had to roll a tennis ball…..because he is not at all trustworthy as far as anything remotely edible is concerned.

Loaf ~ I have substituted loaf for hot-cross-buns because they are after all like mini loaves. Well maybe. These were part of a rather yummy Easter themed Afternoon Tea at the Coniston Hotel near Skipton. My friend Gill had her spa day hen do here on Easter Monday. And I have to say this was a very nice treat. Happy Easter Days. 🙂

Bridge ~ I also have to say 2019 might be the year of the bridge as I keep finding cute pack horse ones whilst out on local walks in the gorgeous Ribble Valley. This one is not far from the village of Bashall Eaves , which also has an old cheese press in the centre and a pub called The Red Pump.

Mine ~ This Nature journal is all mine and I love writing what wildlife I see on walks or just in my back yard etc. I sometimes copy illustrations from books and cut pictures from magazines. It’s a relaxing hobby. 🙂

Black ~ is the colour of our pets. Excuse this photo of Hugo and Slinky on the bed with various items of clothing strewn over the end, but I just love seeing them together on the same photo. 🙂 Black can be an awkward colour when it comes to pet hair as you can imagine. The best thing to do is wear black too and turn a blind eye to the black tumbleweeds that follow you round the house.

My own choice ~ I chose this gorgeous creature for my own choice, because well isn’t he/she divine. A Green Hairstreak Butterfly, I was lucky enough to see lots of these on a guided RSPB walk in the fells above Slaidburn on Saturday. I have never seen one before so I was very happy. Green Hairstreaks are tiny and like to feed on gorse, broom and bilberry. Look out for them on moorland near you. Bowland Moorland Safari Info Here.

Head on over to Kate’s Blog for more Scavenger Hunt posts from tomorrow ( Friday) . X

30 Before 50 Bucket List.

I’ve wrote my new Bucket List, though I can’t say I’m loving the title! But yes I am now 45 years old and having written a 25 Before 45 Bucket List when I was a mere age 42, I thought I would continue with the bucket listing lark, through the rest of my forties. 🙂

There were a few items on my previous list that I never got round to ticking off, so I have included some of them on here. I would still like to swim in a lido, see the Northern Lights and try a Dutch pancake in Amsterdam. And there are plenty of new ideas too, such as watching a starling murmuration, collecting sea glass from the beach at Seaham in County Durham and eating ice cream in a vintage ice cream parlour. I’m excited to get cracking!

And I’ve already crossed two things off my new Bucket List. I managed to take a photo of a Barn Owl that was hunting in the field next to my sisters house ( wow, they are such beautiful birds) , plus I went to watch a movie in an old vintage cinema , which has definitely made me want to do more of the same in the future. 🙂

My Bucket List.

Watch a film in an old vintage cinema.

Climb ten more Wainwrights.

Eat out at The Witchery in Edinburgh.

I’ve only done two Wainwrights ever, so hopefully having them on my bucket list will encourage me to do more!

Go on a guided wildlife walk.

Swim in a lido.

Walk The Dales Way.

See the Northern Lights.

Try a Dutch Pancake in Amsterdam.

Collect sea glass on Seaham beach.

Dutch Pancakes in Amsterdam. Image from Pinterest.

Stop in four quirky holiday lets.

Go wild camping.

Afternoon Tea at Cloud 23 in Manchester.

Explore more of the Outer Hebrides.

Barn Owl in my sisters croft.

Stay a few days in the Peak District.

Go to the No 6 Festival in Portmeirion.

Photograph a Barn Owl in the wild.

Ride a street car in Lisbon.

Watch a starling murmuration.

Go Ice skating outdoors.

Make an honesty box meal.

Yellow Street Car in Lisbon. Image from Pinterest.

Be Nine stone.

Visit Dungeness in Kent.

Eat ice cream in a vintage ice cream parlour.

Cycle round the isle of Cumbrae.

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Meet Felix the Huddersfield Railway Cat.

Go for a cream tea at the home of the Yorkshire Shepherdess.

As you can see, I have left a few gaps in my list, in case I think of a few more things I would like to do.

Do you have your own list?

Have you seen or done anything that I have mentioned here? x