Eat & Drink
Originally published on Wednesday, 30th July 2008
Betty Blythe
Lulu, the enigmatic owner of the nicely old-fashioned Betty Blythe in Brook Green, is quick to point out that her quaint establishment is not a deli-cafe but actually a pantry and tea room.
She has hand-picked the best produce from small mainly London-based companies like cheese from Le Fromagerie, freshly baked loaves from The Bread Company and sweet treats from The Handmade Cake Company; sandwiches are lovingly-made traditional favourites like organic egg with dill mayonnaise and watercress, and Lulu believes that a nice cuppa and a slice of cake (or a Popina fig and white chocolate biscuit) is just as good a stress-buster as a visit to a spa - and if you can buy your groceries at the same time without having to face Sainsburys, even better.
There is also a little ivy-covered 'secret garden' downstairs, complete with fountain, to really make you feel like you've escaped the rat-race, and if you're having a party, you can hire Lulu and her 'Betties' dressed as Flappers (the pantry-tearoom is named after a 1920s pin-up) to serve up their own canapes and cakes.
How genteel!
Hours: Mon-Fri 8am-8pm • Sat 8am-6pm
Place: 73 Blythe Road, W14 0HP
Cost: £10
Web: www.bettyblythe.co.uk
Book: 020 7602 1177