Betty Blythe's fabulous dress-up brunch

Shepherd’s Bush’s charming Betty Blythe

Ages ago Time Out Deals were offering two-for-one brunch for £14 at Betty Blythe. With Friend R and I both trying desperately to save the pennies at the moment but not wanting to lose out on style and fabulous days out, we jumped at it. It also happened to be in our old hood…

Oh Shepherd’s Bush, the place I’m sure all antipodeans end up at some point during their time in London, especially when they’re 25, like we were, and putting all their savings to travelling the world, again, like we were, and generally up for big nights out at the Shepherd’s Bush Walkabout and other very dodgy bars where the main aim was to get drunk, wake up with a rotten hangover and repeat the process again, preferably in a European city the following weekend, like we were.

How seven years has changed the two of us! Despite sharing a room with Friend C and living in a three bedroom house with five others, plus couch surfer/random cousin from home/new friends made the night before, and a giant slug that haunted our bathroom during this time, we still managed to survive with life-long friendship only solidified.

And so it was, two thirty-two year olds, wearing much classier clothes, glossier hair (thank you GHD, you lovely little lifesaver for 6 years now~), big professional jobs and certainly not sharing rooms/flats with at least six others, stepped into our old neighbourhood and headed towards Betty Blythe, a magical little vintage tea room between She-Bu and Hammersmith.

Fabulous table decorations

We were pleasantly surprised. After a bit of an annoying booking system (you have to email them, it took about five emails over the space of a week to get the right date and time, something that could have easily been saved by a simple phone call) we were impressed by the very friendly service and food that kept coming our way, along with the masses of vintage clothes and accessories on offer to wear while you’re chowing down. We were served the following:

Pastry (I went for pain au chocolat, R had an almond croissant)

Granola, fruit and yoghurt

Toast

Orange juice

Tea from a very good tea menu

and were also offered cereal but both declined as we were overwhelmingly full.

Yummy granola with white peony tea

I think the normal price for their brunch is about £15. I would pay this but I think I’d prefer to just order one or two things from the above list as by my first slice of toast I was stuffed; a pastry and the lovely granola would have been plenty.

I loved the tea. I went for my favourite, white peony, while R had chai which she very much enjoyed.

The highlight for us though was the massive dressing up drawer. We could have spent hours diving into it and taking loads of pictures. It was so much fun. We ate our brunch wearing feather boas and quirky head wear, while the table upstairs had gone the full shebang with dresses, top hats and feather boas (that was just the men!). I also want the screen with birds on (see top of this post) for my house.

The wonderful dressing table with drawers filled to the brim with treasures

R looking absolutely gorgeous

Aye-Aye Captain!

I’d love to go back to Betty Blythe for afternoon tea. I think it would be ideal for a hen party, and I also noticed that they do a good little cream tea for under a fiver. Should I ever live out West again, this would become a regular haunt for me.

Betty Blythe can be found at 73 Blythe Road Brook Green London W14 0HP. Nearest tube stops are Shepherd’s Bush and Hammersmith. We paid £14 for the two of us on a Time Out offer, normal price for a big brunch there is around £15. 

P.S. I’m currently featured on the Lime and Tonic blog with a post on Around the world in six foods - a follow-up to my Around the world in five foods post from last year. Thanks L&T!

Betty Blythe’s cafe counter

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