Episode 15 - North Yorkshire
Ade visits Betty’s tea rooms in Harrogate where he learns about its history and the range of cakes and teas they serve. Ade samples their tea and the famous Fat Rascal.
A Guide to North Yorkshire
Over 3000 square miles in area, North Yorkshire is England’s largest county. It’s home to the Vales and Dales, moors and coast and approximately 40% of the county is covered by National Park. Many of the one million locals refer to the county as ‘God’s own country.’
Yorkshire Dales
Famous for magnificent scenery, the Yorkshire Dales is home to three areas of Outstanding National Beauty – Nidderdale, the Yorkshire Dales National Park and the Forest of Bowland. The Dales is an unspoilt area with a collection of towns and villages, including the Cathedral city of Ripon, craft town Reeth, Norman town Richmond founded in 1071, Wensleydales’ Masham, and nestled between two rivers is Middleham often described as ‘the Windsor of the North.’
York
A walled city with cobbled streets, York was founded by the Romans in around 71AD. Steeped in history and renowned for some beautiful architecture, York Minster, the City’s Gothic Cathedral is iconic. Clifford’s Tower is another landmark built by William the Conqueror in the years after his conquest. York is a city of old meets new and is now a modern vibrant city. The historic towns of Tadcaster and Selby are also nearby and within easy reach from York.
Harrogate
One of North Yorkshire’s most elegant destinations, Harrogate became a spa town after its waters were discovered in the 16th Century. It’s a popular tourist destination and well-known for its tearooms and cafes that spill out onto the pavement. As well as historic buildings, Harrogate is also famous for the Valley Gardens, set in 17 acres, they contain woodland known as the Pinewood, flower displays and 36 of Harrogate’s 88 mineral wells.
Food the Yorkshire way...
Yorkshire is renowned for its rich culture of food and drink, the industry currently includes more than 1100 food and drink producers. Well known for rich flavours and ingredients, there are many foods associated with this large county. Yorkshire ham is world renowned and has developed due to the availability of the large white pigs in the area.
Just as famous is Wensleydale cheese which originated with the Cistercian Monks who had lived in France previously and found Jervaulx Abbey near Ripon in 1156. It gained the Wensleydale name in the 19th century and had a revival in the 1980s. These days, the principal source of the cheese is the Wensleydale Creamery located in the market town of Hawes. It's the local pastures that give the cheese its unique flavour.
Whitby Lemon buns are another local delight that are made at Botham's Bakery in Whitby. The bakery was established by Elizabeth Botham in 1865 and is run today by her descendants. The bun contains raisins and is topped with lemon glacé icing. Also delicious are Wilfra tarts, or small apple and cheese pies that are made in honour of St. Wilfred who began the building of the cathedral in Ripon. The first week of August in the town is known as 'Wilfra week', when many of these tarts are made in his honour.
From the 1700s onwards, York became a place of growth for confectionary factories Rowntree’s and Terry’s are examples of these now both with globally recognised products.
And it’s not just food that Yorkshire’s famous for, it’s also home to large number of well-known Breweries such as John Smiths, Tetley’s, Sam Smith’s and Black Sheep.
Yorkshire Brack
At the end of the programme, Ade cooked up a traditional North Yorkshire dish, Yorkshire Brack, a fruity cake made without fat. A county of tea-lovers, it’s no surprise that the fruit is soaked in tea overnight before being added to the rest of the mixture.
Get Ade's recipe for Yorkshire brack
What Ade did...
Yorkshire ham in Ilkley
One of Yorkshire’s most famous foodstuffs, Ade went to explore the origins of Yorkshire or York Ham. Back in the 1200s when the ham is thought to have originated, curing the meat was the only way to preserve it. A mixture of salt and sugary additions would be added to the ham to maintain the meat as well as add flavour. Today with the invention of fridges, the meat is cured only to give the ham it’s well loved and traditional taste. Ade met up with David Lishman who having worked in the meat trade since finishing school, founded Lishman’s butchery 25 years ago and now has a selection of Great Yorkshire Hams created using a curing method that dates back to the 1800s. Ade butchered the pork and helped to make a traditional Yorkshire Ham. He also then made a ham using a curing recipe that is 800 years old.
Also in Ilkley, Ade stopped to collect some eggs from a Dorking hen, one of the oldest British breeds descending back from stock brought to Britain by the Romans. Ade met veterinary surgeon and chicken breeder Victoria Roberts to investigate the Dorking hen’s white eggs.
Hornblowing in Ripon
Ripon is home to a custom that dates back to 866 and is the longest ongoing unbroken daily ceremony in the world. The Ripon Hornblower continues a tradition of ‘Setting the Watch’ which has been carried out every evening on the market square for 1124 years. The original charter horn was given to the town by Alfred the Great, he told to the residents to remain vigilant as the Vikings were still a threat and suggested they appointed a ‘wakeman.’ He would then sound the horn at 9PM every night at the four corners of the market town to let the people know that the watch was set. Ade met up with current Ripon hornblower and ‘wakeman’ George Pickles who has been continuing the tradition since 2004.
Betty's Tearooms and Yorkshire curd tart
When you think of an English drink, it’s not uncommon to think of tea, in fact 120 million cups are drunk in Britain a day! So it’s hard to believe that the drink only arrived in Britain in the 1700s. One of the most famous tearooms in the country is Betty’s situated in the spa town of Harrogate and first opened in 1919 by Fredrick Belmont an orphan from Switzerland. His descendants continue to run the company today and there are now 6 tearooms, 2 of which are in Harrogate. Ade met up with Paul Dean at Betty’s craft bakery to make the famous Yorkshire Curd Tart.
Glendale Ginger
Staying on the drink theme, Ade popped to see Don Grundy at ‘Deli on the Duckhill’, a local shop and Delicatessen in Ripon. Here he tried some Glendale Ginger, a non-alcoholic ginger wine made to a unique 300 year-old recipe and made in the heart of the Yorkshire Dales. The only producers of the drink are David Goff and his wife Judy, they were given the recipe by the family that owned the recipe to continue the tradition. Ade also tried some Wenslydale and Coverdale cheese that are made in North Yorkshire. Ade took some Coverdale cheese with him to serve to his guests later with cake.
Silver Band in Muker
Last stop in North Yorkshire was Muker, a small village situated in Swaledale in the Dales. Originally a Norse village, the population is very small with just over 70 houses. Here Ade met the Muker band, a silver band that originated in 1897 and continue to play today and have 31 members some of which come from 3 generations of the same family! At 78, the oldest member of the band is Ken Guy who has been playing for 63 years, his cousin Norman has been playing for coming up to 60 years, Norman’s son Alan plays in the band and his two children are the youngest members of the band. They played while Ade prepared his Yorkshire brack.
North Yorkshire facts and traditions
• The Yorkshire Dales is home to England’s largest single drop waterfall, Hardraw Force, a reputed 100 foot drop, as well as Britain’s highest pub, the Tan Hill Inn, at 1,732ft above sea level.
• The highest point on the east coast of England is at Boulby, near Staithes in North Yorkshire, where the cliffs reach over 200 metres high.
• Scarborough Spa is Britain’s first seaside resort and has been welcoming families for over 360 years.
• Pately Bridge near Harrogate is home to England’s oldest sweet shop, established in 1827 and still open today, displaying over 200 jars of sweets from pear drops to lollipops.
• Whitby was home to explorer Captain James Cook between 1728 and 1779. He was best known for reaching the South Eastern coast of the Australian continent in 1770.
• York Minster is the largest Gothic Cathedral in Northern Europe, it took 252 years to build and contains 128 stained glass windows. In July 1984, fire struck at York Minster, the cause of the fire is still unclear but it is suggested that it was struck by lightening.
• Yorkshire Day is on August 1st, to celebrate Yorkshire culture it is an annual festival celebrated since 1975.
• Ripon was the first chartered city in Britain, with a charter granted by Alfred the Great in 886.
• The oldest house found so far in Britain dates back to 8500BC and was found at Star Carr near Scarborough.
