Time For Tea: Tea the Twenty-Eighth

Take some more tea,' the March Hare said to Alice, very earnestly.

'I've had nothing yet,' Alice replied in an offended tone,

'so I can't take more.'

Lewis Carroll

Bettys, Stonegate, York - Tuesday 17th December 2013

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Tea Takers

Sarah Ryan

Olivia Ryan

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Christmas here has been one of the best things about having our own home in York. After the end of what is always a long and busy term it is not only wonderful to escape but also to return to this beautiful city and do all the things we 'always do'. Olivia and I took this opportunity to combine a shopping trip into town with a lovely tea a deux.

For this tea we returned to the medieval Stonegate, one of York's oldest streets, this time to visit the smaller of York's two Bettys.

The shop front is always inviting with the typically attractive displays of confectionery and patisserie. Through the shop and up the winding staircase you reach the tea rooms with their pleasingly idiosyncratic sloping floors and ceilings, typical of these old buildings. I think I am right in saying that this was originally the Taylors of Harrogate cafe, and, as the companies are now merged, the more famous cafe name won out.

Nice to see the craftsmanship of the Thompson workshop featuring again - the wooden light fittings, amongst other features, bear the tell-tale mice, last seen at Tea the Seventh.

The Bettys menu was, as ever, a joy and Olivia started with a bacon muffin whilst I revisited the pikelets - a winter tea definitely requires a toasted opener. We were not disappointed, and thought the sprig of parsley garnish on the muffin would have made the tea also appealing to the guinea pigs, had they been refined enough to join us.

Olivia was not attracted by the cakes on offer so while I indulged in a very fine chocolate and passionfruit bombe, she enjoyed chocolate mice brought up from the shop below. I was allowed to sample the 'hindquarters' of one mouse, and can confirm that Bettys' chocolate is as fine as ever.

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Olivia Magdalen Ryan has been simply the most extraordinary thing that has ever happened to me, as any parent would understand, and the last ten of my forty years have been fabulous because of her. She is kind and funny and thoughtful, and surprises and delights me all the time, and I am unutterably biased in a most joyful way. Obviously there had to be a special tea with her, and her company for this in one of our favourite places at a favourite time of year was a lovely start to the festive season.

We talked about Christmas plans and presents (and no, we still haven't finished buying presents, and no we have no idea what we are going to buy for some people)

Watching 'Box of Delights' this evening, pantomime tomorrow, planning baking, looking forward to Midnight Mass and gatherings of family and friends - we had a fine afternoon of anticipation together.