WHEN workers have finished trying festive ribbons on hundreds of handmade chocolate boxes ... guess what they tie up their own Christmas parcels with - sticky tape!

"I'm so fed up of tying ribbons in bows that I don't want to see another for another 12 months," said one nimble-fingered lady.

She is just one of the hands-on production team of 80 workers at the famous Betty's bakery in Harrogate.

All have been working their fingers to the bone to create the thousands of orders for their speciality food and gifts not only in the shops, and cafes, but for postal orders too.

And when it is claimed that Betty's products are "handmade", that's exactly what they are.

Touring the bakery, I watched workers making gold icing for angels' hair, placing tiny dots for eyes and ears of chocolate teddy bear figures and Father Christmas biscuits, the women hand-tying bows on chocolate boxes, and those delicious chocolates with nuts placed at the bottom of each wrapping case, followed by the rest of the ingredients.

Even the sponges and Christmas cake mixtures were put into baking cases by hand - and I mean by the handful, literally.

The aroma in the confectionery department would have been unbearable for a chocoholic. Fortunately, I haven't a sweet tooth.

Both dark and white chocolate is kept at a certain temperature so that it doesn't set.

Then there are the hand-finished decorative iced cakes, all to be boxed individually- and again, by hand, not a machine.

Betty's is a "family firm" in more than one way. Lots of members of different families all work and tend to stay with the bakery.

I expected the ovens to be modern, gleaming aluminium machines. Not so - although they are all perfect for the job.

Pride of place in the bakery goes to a huge oak-fired slow-burning range for the goodies which need a low, even temperature. This is one of only three in the country and is fuelled by wood from Sweden.

Liz Burgess, who showed me around the factory, told me that mince pie sales were up yet again. By Christmas Day, Betty's would have baked almost 30,000 mince pies using more than a tonne of mincemeat!

Whether it's traditional Christmas puddings, the more decadent after-dinner chocolates or essential stocking fillers, Betty's offers a festive treat for everyone.

That is partly thanks to product development and quality control manager, Lesley Norris, who has the envious task of developing and tasting all the festive treats.

Her job is certainly not for the calorie-conscious. To maintain the high standards expected of Betty's products, Ms Norris and her team have to taste a sample from every batch.

In the early hours of December 17, the bakers created a small batch of the speciality Christmas stollen and panettone exclusively for mainland UK mail order customers. Just a single batch is baked.

Stollen is the traditional German Christmas bread made with stollen spice. A thick layer of finest quality marzipan runs through this rich fruited bread which is dipped in melted butter and rum after baking.

The chocolate and orange panettone is a twist on the classic Italian festive cake made with natural orange oil, citrus peels and dark chocolate pieces.

As we toured, the bakers were busy preparing another batch of one of Betty's most famous products, fat rascals, a scone-type pastry which is highly popular in the Northallerton, York and Harrogate cafes.

Loath as I was, it was time to tear myself away from all the delicious smells, not least the Christmas puds which are made in small batches using fruit which has been soaked in brandy and Theakston's Old Peculier ale. After steaming, these are left to mature for up to five months.

How lovely to work in a place making such decorative and gorgeous smelling products. The products will put my offering of Christmas cake and pud to shame.

Perhaps I should buy hand-made goodies and try and pass them off as my own? After all, I did have a dabble while touring the bakery.