We visited Betty's as we had been gifted a voucher and although we were very much looking forward to it, there were a few minor things that let it down.

We hadn't booked ahead but we only waited about 15 minutes for a table for two and were seated downstairs, so the short wait time was a pleasant surprise. We weren't too fussed about whether we were upstairs or down, however upon descending there was a strong smell of fish or fishcakes which wasn't particularly enticing.

One of the things that we were most looking forward to was the famous cake trolley and an explanation about the cakes available, however when we asked the staff member waiting on us, they said that it was too busy and they weren't able to wheel it over (it was pretty much next to us) but we could go and view it if we liked. It was the lunch rush so we did understand but it was disappointing to have travelled so far to experience the world famous Betty's and not actually having the full experience. The waitress did come back later apologising and asking us if we wanted to view the trolley later on, but by that point we had already ordered and eaten.

The food however was on point. The cream tea was really tasty, freshly made and quite light for a scone; and the Yorkshire curd tart was like a more substantial egg custard in flavour, very tasty. The white tea was very light and floral while the Betty blend was a good strong tea. The extra pot of hot water was also very much appreciated.

Overall I would recommend but as we had high hopes for the overall atmosphere and experience, we were slightly disappointed. As silly as it sounds it would perhaps be worth adding a disclaimer to say the trolley viewing isn't possible at peak times to manage expectations.