A trip to York

Last weekend, we took youngest son back to University, and  had some fun in beautiful York.  The weather was unbelievably sunny, although a bit cold and windy, and we did some lovely 'touristy' things.

We walked around the Minster.......

It really was as sunny as it looks.  The above pic is a view from the Roman Walls.

We walked along the Shambles, which date back to the 14th century.  The shops seem unreal, like wandering into fairyland.

We had some retail therapy, in the form of bookshops.  I bought some lovely old books from Oxfam books.

I can't wait to a start reading these, but I need to finish Middlemarch first, and I'm not even halfway through yet!

This is the timber-framed National Trust shop...

There are lots of shops and buildings just like this in York.

Then we went to Betty's Tea Rooms, one of the most wonderful tea rooms in the world.  We stocked up on our supplies of Betty's Earl Grey tea.

Betty's tea shop is a wonderful building.

This is Betty's flagship cafe, inspired in the 1930's by the RMS Queen Mary cruise liner.

It's wildly expensive, a cup of tea starts at about £3, and the atmosphere is very traditional, but that's what makes Betty's so fabulous and unique.  I love it!

I can't take you all to Betty's, so instead I will give you a recipe for Fat Rascals, which are Betty's most famous cakes.

Fat Rascals

8 oz Self-Raising flour
half tsp. salt
4 oz lard
3 oz caster sugar
2 oz currants
1 oz sultanas
1 egg, beaten
milk to mix.

Pre-heat the oven to 425F or Mark 7.  Grease baking sheets.  Sift the flour and salt together in a bowl and rub in the lard until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs.  Stir in the sugar, currants and sultanas and mix to a soft dough with the beaten egg and a little milk if necessary.  Transfer to a lightly floured surface and roll or press out to a good half inch thick and cut into 2 and a half inch rounds with a cutter.  Place apart on the baking sheet and bake for about 10 to 15 minutes until golden.  Transfer to a wire rack to cool.  Eat fresh with butter.  Makes about 12 scones. 

These cost about £3 each at Betty's, so you can save a lot of money and bake yourself a treat by making them at home!

Today I have been back at work, which was a shock to the system after a three week holiday.  I got up early, got ready, drove to the Park and Ride bus stop, then a quick bus journey to my loooong working day.  It has been lovely to spend time at home, being with my family, cooking and baking, knitting, crocheting, reading, doing all the things I enjoy!  I do like my work though, it's very rewarding and I work with great people.

Thank you so much to everyone who takes the time to read these pages, and especially to those of you who take he trouble to send a kind word in an encouraging comment.

I may not be blogging quite so often for the next few weeks, but please do drop by and say hello.