Afternoon Tea at Tickton Grange

Tickton Grange is a hotel and restaurant just outside of Beverley in East Yorkshire, that is the perfect venue for a girly mummy-daughter afternoon in traditional country style.

I took my mum there for an early mother’s day treat and found it so calm and lovely, a huge contrast to the wind and rain howling outside! The room we were in for afternoon tea was quaint and pretty, and pleasantly spaced out when comparing it to other famous tea rooms (hem hem Bettys). The staff were so lovely, making us feel special and being really helpful in terms of topping up our teapot and explaining what was on offer- even offering us to upgrade to a champagne or gin and tonic afternoon tea which we unfortunately had to decline as we were driving.

The food itself was so tasty and filling, we honestly didn’t need to eat it all, but we totally did as it was that good! They only told us afterwards that they can bag an extra up for you to take home…

We started off with dainty smoked salmon, ham and mustard and egg mayonnaise sandwiches, along with the added bonus of still warm mini sausage rolls, cheese straws and fruit cake with wensleydale cheese just for the bottom tier! The scones were so soft and crumbly we had trouble spreading the cream on them without it all falling apart, and despite their small size, felt very decadent. The cake tier was the highlight though- shortbread with raspberry kiss meringue, mini lemon drizzle cake, orange macaroons, chocolate brownies and mint chocolate shards. We were so full by the end we had to stay a while longer just to digest it all like overfed pythons! All of this was only £16 each, yet another reason why I actually preferred it to Bettys.

Before leaving, we had a sneaky look around the rest of the hotel under the pretence of looking for a venue for my upcoming wedding (the boyfriend doesn’t know yet that he’s proposed and I’m planning already, but it was a good excuse to be nosey!) I can see why so many people choose Tickton Grange for their weddings, as they not only do a very nice reception by the sounds of it and for a very reasonable price, but also have the license for a civil ceremony and 21 bedrooms to accommodate all your guests, so they really can give you the whole package.

We had a lovely girly afternoon, and will definitely be something we will be repeating- mum even said that she’s going to try and persuade my dad to take her there for dinner as their restaurant menu sounds equally good, so there may be another review coming soon!

 

Afternoon Tea at Bettys, Harrogate

I’ve been looking forward to afternoon tea at the famous Bettys ever since I moved to Harrogate, and while I’ve been into the shop and gone for lunch, I’ve never actually had their most famous offering, so was pretty excited yesterday to go with an old school friend for a girly afternoon out.

The Bettys in Harrogate is the original one, started in 1919 and it is still a beautiful building with light and airy rooms inside without feeling like they’re packing the tables in. We had a lovely waitress called Joanna serving us and I have to admit I do like their 1920s style uniform as it just makes it feel like there’s something traditional about the place.

We were served our tea first which was the regular tea room blend which very nice but we were offered to change this to another if we had wanted. The food arrived quickly and was beautifully presented on the silver cake stand, and we couldn’t wait to tuck in!

The sandwiches were dainty and light but packed with filling- you could tell the ham was proper farmhouse style rather than average supermarket and the chicken was moist and well seasoned.

The scone was possibly the highlight for me. It was soft and crumbly and full of fruit. The amount clotted cream I slathered on may have clogged my arteries but it definitely was worth it! The only thing I would say was that there should have been more jam between the two of us but that might just be my personal preference for piling scones high!

By the time we reached the patisserie layer we were starting to get full but there was no way we would give up before tasting the beautiful morsels of cake. First up was the gateu de l’opera which we couldn’t for the life of us figure out what it was from the menu until we saw it- it had been on the bake off as a technical challenge and to see if in real life made us understand why- it was tiny and delicate and the flavours of chocolate and coffee butter cream were perfectly balanced. I don’t usually like coffee flavoured cakes but this one was just the right amount and didn’t last long at all before being finished off.

The engadine macaroon also had us wondering what flavour it would be but it turned out to be a wonderful almond and hazlenut taste and and again was eaten with big smiles on our faces.

Finally, there was a fruit tarte which was okay. The fruit did seem fresh which was nice but the pastry was a little thick and so overpowered the creamy filling and fruit a little.

Overall, it was a lovely experience. We didn’t have to wait too long in the queue outside and the food was very nice. However I still left a tiny bit disappointed as it wasn’t quite as amazing as I had expected. Yes it was a nice afternoon tea but I’ve had equally nice ones elsewhere. In conclusion it was a great afternoon treat with a good friend but I will continue to hunt out afternoon teas and see if I can find the best one in Yorkshire!