- Special Recognition Award 2024
A low, magical building with a thatched roof situated in a quaint and quiet North Yorkshire village where the landlord knows the names of everyone. Inside won’t disappoint either as the Star Inn features a cosy interior from the bar right through to the dining areas. Even the gardens will leave you feeling warm and fuzzy inside, featuring homegrown herbs and vegetables.
The pub has held a place on the Estrella Damm Top 50 Gastropubs list since its inception over a decade ago, taking the top spot on more than one occasion over the years. Impressively, it also holds a Michelin star.
Sadly, just before the 2022 list was announced, the Star Inn suffered a catastrophic fire and was out of commission for 2022, but is back up and running pleasing locals and foodies alike.
Star Inn chef-patron Andrew Pern is something of a local celebrity, not least because he’s had the pub for more than 20 years and owns several other sites across the north-east of England.
The Star’s name has become synonymous across the country with a dedication to fine produce and playful but refined cooking.
Take Pern’s best-known dish, which he describes as the epitome of his “rich man, poor man” style: pan-fried foie gras teamed with rich black pudding, doused in a sticky scrumpy cider reduction.
Further menu highlights have included Rievaulx shot partridge with juniper-creamed Brussel sprouts, pine-smoked Alsace bacon, smoked beets and clementine with Port wine juices; and baked sherried fig frangipane with toasted marzipan, nibbled almost brittle, candied clementine and figgy toffee ice cream.
Diners can choose to order from an extensive à la carte menu or take on one of Pern’s extensive tasting menus with optional matched wines.
The Star also offers a range of boutique hotel rooms and accommodates hunting parties throughout the season. It is consistently named among the best places to stay in the UK by national newspapers and other publications.
Accommodation accolades are well deserved and representative of the Star’s distinct, sophisticated, yet comfortable style.
Those visiting from further afield would be wise to check out Pern’s other venues – there’s his take on a thriving bistro, the Star in the City in York and several years back he also launched Star Inn the Harbour, a Whitby-based venue, that serves some of the greatest seafood in the region.
