Andrew Pern on The Star Inn at Harome's comeback from fire

“It was the like the end of the world as we know it.”

The fire which tore through Michelin-starred The Star Inn at Harome in 2021 was not only devastating for chef owner Andrew Pern, but it affected the whole community.

Having been forced to shut its doors for two years due to the coronavirus pandemic, the 14th-century inn was open again for just a matter of weeks, before one night the thatched roof caught fire.

Suddenly, it was forced to close again for around another year.

But Andrew and long-serving chef director Stephen Smith refused to let The Star Inn die. It was rebuilt and is now thriving, still holding a Michelin star and, as in September 2026, was crowned AA Restaurant of the Year for England, showcasing how successful he comeback has been.

Read more: AA Hospitality Awards 2026 full results round-up

why Andrew Pern first got involved with The Star Inn

"The Star Inn at Harome is becoming iconic,” Andrew said.

“I've owned it for 30 years. We came here in 1996. Nobody wanted it. It was for sale for four years, empty for nearly a year.

"We'd always known of it, coming here as kids. My parents came here when they were engaged. My grandfather even came here in the sixties. It had always had a good reputation for food, so it was quite before its time, I think, really.

“Thatched pub, low beams, wonky walls, open fires - in the village you've got the duck pond, the village church, the cricket pitch. It's that sort of chocolate box feel to the whole place, and the great British public, they love a pub.

“So it wasn't rocket science for us to try and get hold of it. And we did, by hook or by crook.

“I played rugby with a bank manager, an extra bottle of red on a Friday afternoon and we nailed it. We didn't have any savings, we just did a deal and away we went.

“It’s been chaos ever since.”

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He added: “What we do different here at The Star Inn is that we appeal to all walks of life. You can have lords, ladies, film stars, pop stars, sportsmen, whatever, but you've got your mates in the village, you've got your friends, your neighbours, the people from the local area who've been here for, well, literally generations.

“We've done people's christenings, then we've done their 18th birthday, and then we've done the 21st, we've done the wedding day, and then we've done one family's christening. So we've gone the full circle.

“We are a lot of things to a lot of people. We’re consistently good.”

The fire at The Star Inn at Harome

Unsurprisingly, all the details of the night which saw The Star Inn burn down are etched in Andrew’s memory.

“I got a call at 16 minutes past 10, it’s ingrained in the brain,” he said.

“I was at home across the road, in bed watching TV. The phone goes, Steve rings and says, chef, chef, you need to come over, I think the roof's on fire.

“I was up and out, straight across the road. I was running down the landing and the missus said, do you not want to put some trousers on?! It is going to sort of panic mode.

“The straw is very long on a thatched roof and it somehow caught alight.

“The fire brigade took 10 tonnes of sodden winter straw off the roof, but it took so long for them to get it all off. At one point I think there was 13 fire engines here.

“Once the call was The Star Inn, and it's the thatched pub in the area, everyone knows of it and everybody has got a bit of a love for it. They sort of own a piece of The Star Inn, and everyone wanted to work on it.

“They were syphoning the water out of the village pond to get it all the way up here. It was a complete mess.

“You could just see all of this history literally going up in flames.

“It couldn't have really been worse timing. We had two years being closed with COVID. Everybody was just getting back on their feet and we'd been open nine weeks, then the bloody pub burns down.

"So it was a proper kick in the old proverbials and we couldn't believe it.

“When we had the fire, Storm Arwen came the next day. So it was like the end of the world as we know it, really.”

Andrew continued: “It was more of a shock for people the next day who'd been sound asleep when all these fire engines were out here filling the whole road.

“They came round the corner to see that The Star Inn had literally burnt to the ground.

“It was worse for a lot of other people and their memories and their celebrations that they'd had here. It had a special place in a lot of people's hearts.

"So the next day, we just set about thinking, right, how are we going to get it back on the road?

“It never crossed my mind that we would never reopen and put it back to how it was. You can't just throw the towel in and say that's it. It's too easy. And we're fairly stubborn, Yorkshire folk.

“I think it's that Yorkshire grit and that stubbornness, that we were just going to dig our heels in. Right, here we go."

The role of chef director Stephen Smith

Part of the whole journey of the rebuild has been chef director Stephen, someone Andrew is quick to heap praise upon.

Discussing the food offering the pair provide at The Star Inn, Andrew explained it has been built on his love of French cuisine and desire to “wave the White Rose flag” and offer that in Yorkshire.

They do that through dishes involving Whitby lobster, Harome venison and the signature black pudding and foie gras.

“What we offer here is something that we're very passionate about,” Andrew said.

“There's something on the menu from as soon as anybody walks through that door. If you're coming for a pint and a read of the paper, or a game of dominoes, or whatever you want. There are not many Michelin-starred restaurants that offer what we do, through to à la carte menu, market menu, snack menu, 10-course tasting menu with matched wine. So I think we're fairly unique.

"I'm here 99% of the time and Steve's been here 18 years. We always have great fun.

"I don't know how Steve does it, to be honest. The standard of the food that we're aiming for all the time, day in, day out, and the volume that we do. We can easily do 100 covers on a Saturday evening.”

He added: “Yorkshire is well known for its produce, and a bit of an envy of the rest of the UK, I think.

"I think now The Star Inn is definitely in the best position it's ever been in.

“It's heaving all the time, but to a good level, that we still have the consistency of the level of food for the volume of covers that want to come.

“Every cloud's got a silver lining. We got a brand new building and we bounced back.

"The next five years, I'll still be here. Next 10, 15 years, I'll still be here.

“I just want to encourage the next generation. Hopefully one or two of my kids will come into the business and keep the ball rolling. But it's in good hands now. Steve and the gang here are brilliant.

“I can then be the face of The Star Inn, and then we spread the gospel a bit wider.”