Bettys - Harrogate

 

 

 

Harrogate is one of mine and Dan's favorite Yorkshire towns. It's just a 30 minute train ride through beautiful rolling countryside from Leeds. We decided to make reservations there, at Bettys, on New Years Eve day, so that we could finally partake in a proper British afternoon tea. Bettys is a wonderful bakery, teashop, restaurant, tearoom...that had locations in York, Ilkley, Northallerton and Harrogate. Typically you stand in a long line to dine here but they were taking reservations for New Years Eve and we jumped at the chance.

We decided to start our tea with a little bit of bubbly and ordered the Hebrat Premier Cru Champagne making our tea 33.95 pounds a person as opposed to 26.95. The service was wonderful and the perfect way to end a great year. So with a piano playing in the background we enjoyed the following sandwiches:
Prawn marie rose and oak roast salmon, roast Yorkshire ham & mustard, Coronation chicken and free-range egg mayonnaise & cress along with freshly baked sultana scones with strawberry preserve and Yorkshire clotted cream, a selection of handmade miniature cakes and of course a teapot of speciality tea. Both of us chose the China Yunnan, a fragrant tea that has a distinctive sweet taste and light golden color.

Bettys is located at Parliament Street Harrogate HG1    www.bettys.co.uk

Cuthbert's Bakehouse - Liverpool

 

 

 

 

On our Saturday afternoon in Liverpool, we had just toured the magnificent Liverpool Cathedral and were ready for lunch. I was in the mood for Mexican, something we still have not eaten because Leeds does not seem to have any Mexican places, but the place close by did not open for lunch until 1 PM. We were walking towards the Metropolitan Cathedral, when we came upon  Cuthbert's Bakehouse. We looked at the menu and decided to eat here. It's a quaint, little place with mismatched tables and chairs and it looked perfect.
The server came to us immediately and took our orders. Dan wanted some hot, green tea (2.15) and I wanted one of the unusual sodas on the menu. After being told the first 2 I requested were no longer available, I decided on the Dandelion and Burdock (1.85). It had an interesting flavor that was sweet and unusual, a flavor that would take some getting used, but drinkable. Dan ordered the Turkey and Cranberry Sandwich (4.00) and requested brie cheese, which was not a problem. I ordered the Roast Beef and Horseradish (4.00). Both sandwiches came topped with a salad of lettuce, tomato and cucumber and were on amazing rustic rolls. These were very good sandwiches and we had no problems devouring every bite. They were served with a side of crisps.

Dan got up and looked at the dessert case and saw the wonders that were on display. He called me up there and said that we had to order something because they all looked amazing. We decided on Sticky Toffee Pudding (4.50) which we had to wait on. The warm cake arrived topped in a toffee sauce and surrounded by a lake of hot custard. This was truly a great dessert and the perfect ending to a very good meal.
103 Mt Pleasant Liverpool L3 5TB  0844-245-8612
www.cuthbertsbakehouse.co.uk

Le Perron Noordermarkt - Amsterdam

 

 

One of my favorite things to do in a European city is shopping in the markets. In the western canal section of the Jordann, there is the small, but very active, Noordermarkt. Here you can find cheese, bread, cakes, vegetables, dairy products, honey, clothing, hand made hats, books and more. We came across a bakery called Le Perron, that was selling their breads as fast as they came out of the ovens. I saw this beautiful black olive baguette that had my name written all over it. We purchased it and when the friendly clerk gave me the bag, the bread was still warm. Needless to say, I ate 1/2 of the bread before we made it to the next market. The rest would have to be eaten later.

 

The Noordermarkt is located just a short walk from the Anne Frank House along the Prinsengracht at 1095 MV Amsterdam.

 



Popelini - Paris

One of my favorite things we ate in Paris were these wonderful little pastries from Popelini. They were like cream puffs filled with a wide assortment of flavors and then iced in the same flavor. Celine turned us on to this them. I ordered the Caramel, filled with an amazing salted caramel cream. Dan had the Praline and loved his too. The flavors available are chocolat noir, café, vanilla de Madagascar, citron, pistache, chocolat au lait, rose and chef’s specials. The case is like a rainbow of flavor and you want to try them all. They have 2 locations: 29 rue Debelleyme 75003 Paris and 44 rue des Martyrs 75009 Paris. You can go to their web address at  www.popelini.com