Easter at Betty's

Betty’s tea rooms are a Yorkshire institution. Actually, they’re a British institution. They’re some of the few places you can still ‘take tea’ in genteel fashion.

Your dainty fare is served by waitresses in frilly white aprons and, if you’re very lucky, you’ll be serenaded by live music (though, sadly, that seldom happens these days).

But every bit as appealing as the refined elegance of the cafes are the shops that front them. Betty’s cakes and patisserie are the best. And Easter is one of those times when it’s worth making a detour just to peer through the windows and see what the bakers and confectioners have come up with.

When I called this weekend, the window display was all charming, hand-decorated Easter eggs (including a huge one sized for a giant); while inside the store was the display of Simnel cakes pictured above.

For the record, I did buy an Easter egg which I planned to share with you…..but someone ate it before I could photograph it (and it wasn’t me!).