16.07.2025
It started, as the best stories do, with community lunch in our café.
Renee, our ever-curious Wellbeing Services Director, was chatting away at the after-lunch Memory Group when she struck up a lovely conversation with one of our regular attendees — a charming lady with twinkly eyes and a Yorkshire accent not heard too often in Cricklewood. After a few shared stories and a cuppa, Renee mentioned she’d be heading up north for a little trip to Harrogate (to the Great Yorkshire Show – highly recommended).
“Harrogate?!” exclaimed our Yorkshire lass, eyes wide. “You must go to Betty’s and get a Fat Rascal!”
Now, for the uninitiated, a Fat Rascal is a glorious, cheeky, fruity scone-like bun with a face (yes, it has cherry eyes and an almond smile — we don’t make the rules, Betty does).
Renee, never one to turn down a challenge — especially one with a name like that — took the advice to heart. She did go to Betty’s. She did order a Fat Rascal. She did not leave without taking one home to Cricklewood.
Fast forward to the next café meet-up, and there she was — our smiling Yorkshire lass, holding up her Fat Rascal like it was a golden ticket from Willy Wonka. And just like that, the chatting started.
“What on earth is a Fat Rascal?” “Isn’t it just a scone?” “I once dated a fella from Leeds. He was definitely a fat rascal.”
And suddenly, a full-blown cultural exchange broke out: Yorkshire vs Irish vs London — the accents, the craic, the tea (strong, weak, builders or “fancy”), and how to pronounce scone without starting a war.
The Fat Rascal became a symbol of cross-county connection, an edible ambassador of shared stories and sweet nostalgia.
#yorshireinlondon #irishinlondon #bettystearooms
