The Star Inn at Harome

The Star is a fourteenth-century thatched inn in a village of a few hundred people, and it has been one of Yorkshire's most decorated kitchens for the better part of thirty years under chef-patron Andrew Pern. A serious fire in November 2021 destroyed the thatched section; the building was rebuilt and reopened in 2022.

Guest rooms are not in the pub itself but at Cross House Lodge across the lane, where the accommodation is more characterful than the arrangement suggests — galleried rooms, antiques, and a communal table under a vaulted roof. It is an eccentric set-up that regulars are fiercely fond of.

Harome lies just south of the North York Moors National Park, with Helmsley, Rievaulx Abbey and the long heather moors immediately north. Castle Howard and the North Yorkshire coast are both comfortable day trips.