Tea Hee hits the spot, Bartie hits my table.

Today I went to Tea Hee in Easingwold. Tiny in size and tucked in the corner of the market place, you could miss it. Follow the trail of young mums in Barbours, WI jam carrying grannies in hunter wellies and you know you are on the right track. Easingwold is a pretty little Georgian town, but little it is and there is no way that this cafe is surviving from Easingwold folk alone. Having won several awards, including Top Yorkshire Tea Room and the Great Taste Award for many of the items on its menu, people are prepared to travel a little out of their way for some Tea Hee time.

I went for a feta cheese salad with a ginger ale. The salad could have done with a bit more dressing, but it was very fresh and simple. The tea was served exactly like I like it (proper boiling water, plenty of real tea leaves and extra water on standby). Furthermore the waitresses were attentive and sweet, young posh students, like grown up characters from an Enid Blyton novel.

In fact the whole place sings Enid Blyton, country warmth and home comforts. Looking around I am inspired to plant my own organic herb garden, mend the sewing machine and try a bit of patchwork... I might even buy a chicken or two for the back yard. Then my chair is struck as a well heeled school boy rushes past me and I wake from my day dream. I don't have a garden, nor a sewing machine, nor do I even eat that many eggs.

Tea Hee's only draw back is the lack of space. Originally using one shop floor, it extended next door and now the tea room and food preparation areas are mixed in each room. Mummy in new fitted red Barbour jacket and matching Hunters grabs Bartie from the cheese counter. Bartie screams and he recoils back onto my table, spilling the tea. The cheese counter is impressive, but I decide not to linger for some post lunch Brie. From afar I envy a lot of the ladies here, but up close I laugh with glee inside. I realise that I am not ready for a Bartie of my own. I'll have the Barbour but they can keep their Barties. Perhaps it is a worthwhile lesson, perhaps it is good that Tee Hee is so cramped after all.

Address: TeaHee! 3 Tollbooth Cottage,Market Place, Easingwold York YO61 3AB
Telephone: 01347 823533
E-mail: mail@teahee.co.uk
Website: www.teahee.co.uk

Quality of tea: 9/10
Service: 8/10
Ambiance: 7/10
Food: 8/10
Value: 7/10

My verdict: Sharpen your elbows, Tea Hee's worth a visit.

Bettys- you can come to my neighbourhood anytime

Betty’s Tea Rooms are a veritable institution in my homeland of Yorkshire. Even my southern or foreign friends have generally heard about Betty’s or at least its sister tea company, Taylors.

It all started when in 1907, Frederick Belmont, arrived in England from Switzerland, unable to speak a word of English. Although he had planned to settle in southern England, Belmont mistakenly boarded a train for Yorkshire. In the end he found work and love there, marrying his his landlady’s daughter, Clare, and they finally settled in Harrogate. He opened the first Betty’s cafe there in 1919, and now there are now six dotted around Yorkshire.

Its current chairman, Jonathan Wild takes a very non Starbucks approach, actively limiting geographic expansion. He argues that Betty’s strength lies in its strong team and hands-on, family culture.

Although I’m moving down south and thus out of commutable distance to Betty’s, I’m inclined to agree with Wild. We all sighed on the last episode of ‘Only Fools and Horses’ , but watching anything go on and on, makes us start to resent it. This is one of the reasons I avoid Starbucks at all cost (another is the awful mugs).

The only thing Betty’s has in common with Betty’s is its consistency. The staff are trained, retrained and then receive more training just in case. One source I know of had managed a pub of her own before falling on hard times. Moving on to work at Betty’s she at first resented being told how to place a fork on the table. After a few months, she realised therein lied Betty’s success.

On my last visit I went for the Frittata Rossa, an Italian-style omelette made with roast red peppers,
sun-dried tomatoes, topped with chives and Parmesan cheese. Belmont was known for favouring things dainty and the portion sizes are generally no exception, but this omelette was actually quite dense and filling.

Perhaps the only really non dainty option is the aptly named Fat Rascal. Served warmed with butter, it has a texture similar to a rock cake, full of citrus peel and vine fruits, decorated with a face of almonds and cherries. You’ll either love them or hate them. My mother scoffs at them, I just scoff them.

But onto the important bit, the tea. If you are feeling experimental, the China Rose Petal variety is deliciously light and delicate. However anyone really serious about tea will go for the Tea Room Blend. It is rich blend that requires a good dash of milk.

Arrive after 6pm and you can drink tea to the tinkling of a grand piano, but allow plenty of time, Betty’s is no secret and you will almost certainly have to queue at peak hours. If you’re in York, go to Little Betty’s on nearby Stonegate, which is generally less busy.

I know Betty’s wouldn’t be the same if it were all over the country. Nevertheless, moving down south I will be sad it will no longer be within commutable distance. I'm just hoping that Wild might board the wrong train and end up in my neighbourhood.

Quality of tea: 9/10
Service: 10/10
Ambiance: 8/10
Food: 7/10
Value: 7/10 (Afternoon tea for two costs £50)