Yorkshire hospitality

Tuesday 22nd May 2012

North Tyne evening

It was later than this picture shows when we got home after our ambitious day trip to Harrogate.  The overall impression was of the amiable people we met, from the young woman serving us coffee and cake in an otherwise empty lounge bar to the two men drinking in a pub garden on the North Yorkshire moors who volunteered to change our wheel when they noticed that we had a flat tyre.
     When we had asked if there was anything to eat with a cup of coffee, we had told the girl behind the bar that  we would be happy with whatever kind of cake was on offer.  We went to sit down after paying for what seemed rather expensive coffee and cake.  She reappeared with two plates of cake...four different slices on each plate, explaining that the chef had got over-excited at having customers on what had been a disappointly quiet day.  "Do you mean that all this is for us?" I exclaimed.  "I don't think we can manage all that."  "I expect we can manage a doggy bag" was her cheerful response.  She then organised our "journey snacks" in a small paper carrier bag in which each remaining slice was wrapped in neat silver foil.
     Every encounter from morning to night was friendly and helpful, a happy end to our holiday.