The Bettys Blog

Struggling to find a truly beautiful Easter treat for a really good egg? Poach an idea from Bettys: match the Easter gift to their personality with our highly ‘scientific’ guide.

“It's not tricky.”

Josie Raine is describing the process of making a five kilo, 55cm tall Easter egg – like our Imperial in Bloom Egg. To put it together, one huge half is placed curved-side-down, then tempered chocolate is spread onto the edge and the other half is carefully manoeuvred on top of it. To the untrained eye, it sounds terrifyingly tricky.

When you look at our towering Imperial Bloom Egg, it's our very dear wish that your first thought is, "Wow". And then, in our heart of hearts, we hope the next thing you think is, "Yum". But after gazing at it for a little while, as it towers above the other Easter eggs in the window of one of our branches, we like to think that a few people might start to wonder exactly how this 5.5kg giant was created.

We've always felt that the way something looks and the way something tastes are very closely connected. It's particularly true of sweet treats - with great beauty often comes great deliciousness. So when our chocolatiers devise a new and highly glamorous shade of Easter egg, it's always a cause for celebration.

If you’re looking for an original alternative to an egg as a gift this Easter, may we suggest this delightful fellow? For someone trotter-deep in mud he looks pretty contented – and so he should be, for he’s made from the same delicious Swiss Grand Cru milk chocolate that we use for our Easter Eggs.

Eggs are famously fragile – and that goes for chocolate eggs too. With their beautiful tempered shells and intricate hand-crafted decorations, we know lots of people prefer to buy Easter eggs in person, just in case on online doesn’t arrive in perfect condition. But you needn’t worry, because we’re a little obsessive about parcels. From the materials we use to the way we pack, no delivery leaves our doors without being showered with the same love, care and craft that goes into the eggs themselves.

Imagine, for a minute, that you have a time machine. Now pop back to the 1920s, drop into Bettys Café Tea Rooms in Harrogate and pick yourself up a box of Lady Betty Peppermint Creams. When you arrive back in the present, you may be surprised by how little your chocolates differ from those we sell today.

Deep in the heart of Switzerland, the small town of Schwyz, home to Bettys chocolate suppliers, Felchlin, is both charming and beautiful. We arrived there in the middle of an unseasonal heat wave. In spite of this, there was still snow on the mountains – we weren’t in Kansas anymore! And whilst not quite the Land of Oz, Schwyz really is a place where magic happens.

When planning for this coming Mother’s Day with the clever Bettys elves who hand-pick items for our gift boxes and hampers, we set them a challenge: ‘Just how many delicious treats do you think you can fit into a Mother’s Day Gift Box?’

Another Christmas has passed and thoughts are now slowly turning towards springtime and the lighter nights and new growth. It always raises my spirits when I realise that the days are slowly getting longer and we have the first appearance of the white Snowdrops or the yellow Winter Jasmine.

We can thank St Valentine for many things, but, let’s face it, the fact that his feast day falls in chilly February definitely offers room for improvement. Still, our craft bakers and chocolatiers aren’t so easily swayed from thoughts of romance, and in our Valentine’s Gift Box we’ve created a collection so heart-warmingly delicious, winter weather will be the last thing on your beau's mind.

We all know what vanilla is like. Reliably nice, reassuringly ordinary… perhaps a little safe? Think of ice cream flavours: when you can tuck in to rich chocolate, tangy fruit or aromatic peppermint, why would you choose plain old vanilla?

It’s a perennial question: flowers or chocolates? When it comes to Valentine’s Day gifts, we hope we’re not being too cheeky by suggesting that our With Love Chocolate Selection has both of these classic choices wrapped up.

The crack of caramel... the rich decadence of chocolate... the velvety slide of spoon through custard... our Cookery School's sumptuous Chocolate Crème Brûlée recipe is a dish that could melt a thousand hearts. And because we love you, here's the recipe.

Our founder, Frederick Belmont, had a taste for the finer things in life. In his spare time, he engaged in the fashionable pursuits of a 1930s Englishman gentleman - taking up flying lessons as a hobby, travelling first class on the maiden voyage of the Queen Mary, and collecting and commissioning art. And, of course, the legacy of his great love for fine food and drink lives on today.

This is just one of the delicious recipes we teach at Bettys Cookery School. Have a go at home – we think you and your guests will love this moist and zesty cake.

Finding the perfect gift box or hamper just got even easier. This Christmas, we’ve brought together our tastiest treats with drinks specially chosen to complement them.

Robyn Cox is known as Bettys ‘Head of Beautiful’. That’s because it’s his job to create our much-loved Christmas window display. But this year there was a twist: his every move was shadowed by a film crew for a Channel 5 documentary, ‘Harrogate: A Great Yorkshire Christmas’.

Inspired by the collection of cute – and, dare we say, delicious – characters found in our Enchanted Forest, we’ve created some extra Christmas treats that are exclusive to the fancy counters in the shops at our six Café Tea Rooms. While their chocolate counterparts make wonderful gifts for the big day itself, these fancies are ideal for serving at parties, teatimes or whenever you want to bring some festive magic to the table.

Nothing says ‘Happy Christmas’ quite like a Bettys hamper. From teatime treats and chocolate delights to the ultimate gourmet adventure – there’s a perfect gift for everyone.

Four years ago, Bettys & Taylors launched an approach to sourcing that would help us to become more sustainable in the face of ever-increasing challenges such as climate change and rural poverty. We've collaborated with suppliers to integrate community and environmental improvements in their work to make a continued difference to the quality of their tea and coffee, and to the lives of the people who grow it.

This Christmas Eve, you may plan to hang those stockings up well out of the reach of any eager little hands too impatient to wait until the morning to see what Father Christmas has brought. But watch out: height will be no obstacle for one nimble intruder.

This Christmas, we’ve drawn upon the magic of the Enchanted Forest to create Freddie the Fox. With his bright eyes and inquisitive expression, he’s ready to delight everyone he meets. Like his friends Sophie the Squirrel and Harry the Hedgehog, Freddie may be made from chocolate, but we have to admit that our chocolatiers’ imaginations and craft skills have really brought him to life.