The Star Inn Review

It has been getting on for three and a half years since my last visit to The Star Inn in Harome, North Yorkshire. A devastating fire closed the restaurant for almost a year from November 2021 to October 2022, but the feedback since reopening has been as strong as ever, including the award (finally) of three AA rosettes in September 2023 (as I'd predicted on both my previous visits) and of course the retention of that coveted Michelin star, including in the most recent 2024 guide. I was therefore really looking forward to eating here again as I rocked up for lunch with my wife and two young children on a clear but cold February Friday.

On arrival, we parked up in the large on site car park and made our way in via the main bar door (there is also a separate restaurant entrance further along). The welcome on arrival was perfectly warm and child friendly, and we were shown through to our table in the main dining room. The space is very much as I remember, nicely finished but with a traditional pub feeling. Our table was in the first dining area in a corner and would maybe have been a little bit tight for four adults, but with two children, it was absolutely fine.

On offer at lunch is a full carte menu (which we ate from) plus a separate specials list, a lunch tasting menu and also a three course children's menu which is always appreciated. To drink, there's a solid wine list and all dishes on the carte menu had suggested matching wine pairings also. The drinks list is also fairly comprehensive including a range of cocktails and non-alcoholic options; there were even three mocktails on the children's menu which was a nice touch, my daughter enjoyed two 'Peppa Pinks' with her meal. I had a couple of York Gin and tonics with my meal which were fine, whilst my wife was happy to see Seedlip available.

Lunch began with a malted potato and caraway loaf with some salted breadsticks, the bread arriving with two types of butter and the breadsticks with a cheesy dip. Although not the best bread I've ever had, it was perfectly enjoyable. For starters, I went for the pan-seared king scallop, served in a smoked bone broth and accompanied by a little tower of (homemade) winter-spiced haggis topped by pile of neep puree. It was a really good dish, the scallop cooking was perfect, the broth was full of flavour and the haggis/puree combination packed a delicious punch. My wife opted for the terrine of 'Loose Birds and Game', a combination of turkey, partridge and mallard served with quince, cranberry and wood sorrel, and accompanied by a separate little malt loaf. It was another very tasty plate that was executed faultlessly. My daughter went for the cheese wedges and vegetables from the children's menu which she enjoyed, whilst my son was perfectly happy with a side of chips.

For mains, I chose the suckling pig. This came in the form of a variety of little pieces of pork including a cutlet, a potato-wrapped cheek, a piece of belly, a piece of cured shoulder (and more besides) all accompanied by a great caper and green peppercorn sauce. What impressed me most about this dish was not just the overall balance of flavours, but the fact that every single element on the plate (and there were several) was cooked absolutely perfectly, it was a really impressive (not to mention delicious) dish. My wife went for the partridge, served with sprouts, bacon, mushroom, truffle sausage and pear. She'd actually had partridge here on a previous visit and not been blown away but this time she thoroughly enjoyed it; like my main, the execution was really without fault. My daughter was perfectly happy too with her fish and chips from the children's menu.

After two very impressive courses, there was little chance of us leaving without dessert, and I was very glad we made that choice. This time I opted for the 'After Eight' re-worked, a take on the classic minty square confectionery. This was a really smartly constructed dessert; it looked great visually and the textures and flavours were very enjoyable. The only element I didn't quite love was the Blue Mountain coffee ice cream; I really like Blue Mountain coffee but the ice cream itself just didn't quite work for me flavour wise. But that didn't detract massively from what was still overall a top quality dessert; I had a glass of the suggested matching wine also with this course (Banyuls Rimage 'Mis Precoce' 2019 Abbe Rous) which was enjoyable too. My wife was equally impressed with her ginger snap tower; it arrived proudly standing vertically and housed a delicious combination of cream, vanilla and cherry, accompanied by some gingerbread ice cream. My daughter also enjoyed her fruit salad from the children's menu, whilst my son was perfectly happy with his vanilla ice cream (served with some chocolate flakes and a little wafer cone also, which was a nice touch).

And that as they say was pretty much that. Overall, I really enjoyed our lunch here. The food was by no means bad on our last visit, but the overall standard of this meal was markedly better, I was really impressed by the quality and precision of the cooking on all three of my courses. The service too was difficult to fault; all the staff were professional and friendly and we were well looked after throughout the meal.

Of course, like so many venues, the meal was more expensive than my previous visit and there is now an automatically included 12.5% service charge (it was previously at the discretion of the customer) but that's the way of the world now. Although I would have liked one or two of the dishes we ordered to be slightly cheaper (my £28 starter being the main one that springs to mind), overall it didn't feel like a bad value meal at all considering the high standard of what we were served.

I'm sure The Star Inn will continue to attract a great many happy customers and I for one can't think of many places I'd rather return to for a top quality, family friendly lunch - it's safe to say I'll definitely be back for visit number four.