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The Star at Harome


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to balance out the metrocentric slant of the board, here's a brief guide to the star inn at harome, one of only 2 i think pubs with a michelin star. It's an old thatched inn, to be found in the middle of no-where in north Yorkshire, (nearest town helmsley which seems to be home to a couple of half decent places now), although an open fire 'beacon' outside the front door helps to locate it! Although clinging on to the term pub, most go to eat, the bar is unreserved, wait your turn and the restaurant is the same menu and prices but more of the usual michelin fripperey. Bar can be very crowded but is atmospheric ie very dark, lit by candles but v conducive to an afternoon of marinating oneself. Bar area is filled with usual pubby 'tat' but all immaculate and does work well (which makes a change) and tables are all old oak 'mousey thompson' pieces which add to the eclectic air. Front of house is run by wife of chef patron in busily efficient manner, aided and abetted by young staff who by and large are good (again makes a change). Wine list is not overly lengthy but covers the main countries and styles and there's a good selection of wines by the glass. It's been touted for several years in the local guides etc but i avoided it for a long time as many just don't live up their repuations, however this is genuinely special, and for once this is a place that lives up to its billing. Onto the food, i tend to go on a sunday afternoon and this is a fairly representative sample of what's on offer...Some Starters: risotto of fresh asparagus with wild garlic leaves, deep fired ragstone beignet £6.25. Carpaccio of peppered beef fillet with twineham grange crackling, pickled onion salad, sour cream dressing £5.50. Warm pigeon sald with crispy smoked belly pork, fresh fig, roast hazelenut pesto £5.50. Mains: Pan roast ryedale roe deer with a little venison cottage pie, fairy ring mushroom and tarragon gravy £16.50  Loin of spaunton pedigree suffolk lamb with creamed goats cheese, asparagus salad, lavender vinaigrette £13.95. Roast loin of pork with boudin noir, baked apple, raisin stuffing sage and onion juices £8.95 pan fried calves liver with crispy waber-thwaite ham, baby spinach salad, haricot bean dressing £11.95. Puddings: Lemon tart, blueberry sauce £4.95, dark choc pud with orange curd ice cream, citrus fruit pastilles £5.25, baked egg custard tart with first of the season gooseberry sherbet. Elderflower rice pudding with a suguared skin, warm compote of stewed local rhubarb £5.25. As you can see there is a large emphasis on local produce and the quality does show in the dishes, i've not had a dish yet that i could justifiably moan about and believe me, that is unusal!  Actually, i think i'll just check this weekends availability....

you don't win friends with salad

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Gavin - Probably about 15-20 miles if you leave the A1 at Thirsk on the Pickering and Scarborough road. I haven't got there yet, it's on my list of places to try when I'm seeing the folks - as is Winteringham Fields - but friends who've been tell me it's killer.

cheers

Adam

edit full disclosure: I misspelled Thirsk as 'Thirst'. Freudian typo or what? I need a pint of Landlord.

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without going off the topic too far winteringham is definitely worth the trip. It is my benchmark for all things food and even on the cheapest set lunch (£29 3 courses, 3 choices per course) you will generally eat something amazing at some point. In a way it's a more refined star , big concentration on local produce, given a twist (but not a daft fusion twist) eg north sea paella. Or just an old classic done to amazing standards. As a foodie it is a very interesting place to eat, menu changes weekly too so there's no chance of getting bored with it!  Am due a trip soon so will update but i can post some of the tasting menus i've had there later.

you don't win friends with salad

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  • 9 months later...

I had a very enjoyable evening in the company of mr and mrs bapi on tuesday night at the star.

It was quite a change not to find the bar packed with diners but the separate restaurant area did fill up by the end of the night.

you've got to love a place that as an amuse bouche serves minature shepherds pies, personal favourite.

One problem with having good company and being a regular is that i spent far too much time talking rather than ordering and enjoying the food, i knew i should have picked up a menu.

Hopefully Bapi has a better memory than me, but given by the time he returns he'll have had almost a week of gourmet dining i suspect his brians cells will be much reduced, but to give you an idea...

for starters i had one of their 'signature' dishes foie gras and black pudding. A dish i've enjoyed several times, basically rounds of B pud sandwiching f gras topped with caramelised apple and surrounded with a couple of reduced sauces.

My main is very sketchy but i think it was braised venison steak with savoy cabbage and other bits and pieces that escape my mind, it was good but there were some lardons in there that i think pushed the dish into over salty territory.

Desert was the selection of star deserts which is very good value for £7.50 i think all the deserts in minature, including, lemon tart, eccles cake, rice pud, ice creams and a jelly. All much better than my crap descriptions i assure you.

coffe was taken in the coffee loft, up in the rafters above the restaurant and than followed by a lager nightcap.

wines were a decent oliver leflaive bourgoune blanc and a crozes hermitage both £20 odd and a couple of muscats at £4.50. Think the total for 4 was about £170.

lucky mr and mrs bapi only had to stumble back to their lovely rooms but unfortunatly we had to drive home and get up at 6.30 the next morning, the only flaw of the evening!

gary

you don't win friends with salad

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Cheeky blighter- of course I can remember what we had – well Rosie can anyway.

Stayed at The Star Inn on the way from Ullswater in the Lakes and en-route to Winteringham Fields( Write ups to follow) to meet up with the venerable Gary Marshall and his missus He has eulogised about this place in the past on the site , and he isn't wrong. This place is worth the detour, for the food alone but they have now added excellent rooms in an annex, 40 yards down the road. Great rooms, which are very modern, kitted out with spa baths and DVD's and as you are in ideal walking country- they even supply you with wellies. Very tastefully designed communal lounge in the main building with an open fire and huge circular table, in what is called the Piggery. Rosie and I had a quick lunch at the Inn down the road before meeting Gary and his missus at 7.30pm. The Inn itself has a lovely subdued atmosphere and we sat talking, soaking that up (as well as a couple of well earned pints) whilst eating those amuse bouches of shepherds pie, before going through to the main dining room. Again, very tastefully decorated and a little more formal than the bar. Jacquie Pern is the owner and front of house and is a delightful as is her husband Andrew who does the cooking and , whom we met the next day.

I started with a terrine of guinea fowl livers with sherry quail and egg jelly and toasted poilane bread. Moist tender pieces of meat surrounded by a fine layer of fresh herbs, a very pleasant start. Back tracking –ever so slightly –that afternoon, I ordered a sandwich not wanting to fill my self up for the onslaught of a meal that evening. What I was presented with was THE best steak sandwich I have ever tasted. Cooked medium rare, but erring on the side rare, a generous, perfectly faultless piece of beef. I enjoyed it so much that I went for beef again that evening, which is unheard of for me, as so did Gary's lovely missus (Too good for you Sir and she's obviously a trifle short sighted). Described as Roast Fillet of beef (medium rare) with Foie Gras butter, blue wensleydale salad and hazelnut pesto. A great combination of flavours. Missus B had the a hugely generous portion of John Dory ( which Gary polished off), other details are sullied by alcohol and because I was talking nonsense in Mr Marshall's general direction.. Gary, as he wrote, had Pan roasted -local fallow deer haunch steak, with creamed savoy cabbage, York ham and haricot beans.

Using an egullet euphemism, I remember from after the Chez Bruce lunch last year, I was a little "tired and emotional" during desserts so can add nothing to Gary's description. Not helped, by the fact that I too partook in the quaint tradition of a beer nightcap. The ladies were very particularly tolerant me thinks Gary. I seem to have some recollection of insisting that all the beers were put onto my bill as I was so grateful to GM for organising a tasting menu for us at Winteringham Fields the next day - Good work fella. I didn't however, envy Gary and Sarah having to be up at 6.30 am to go to work - I on the otherhand awoke on the sofa at 3am , drooling ever so slightly and during a particularly gruesome bit of Gladiator

Overall, great place, great company, excellent food- seek out and enjoy.

Forgot to add this http://www.thestaratharome.co.uk/

Bapi

Edited by Bapi (log)
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  • 1 month later...

I had my 'stag night' at the star on saturday, and a fine venue it was for such an auspicious event.

i arrived bapi-esque fashion ie just in time for a sneaky lunch, this was braised faggotts with spring vegetable stew and thyme juices, topped with a fried duck egg (£9.50). I've had this before as a starter and although good, the third faggott was a bit heavy going, but it lined the stomach for an long day, accompanying this was (obviously excluding the omnipresent lager) a couple of bottles of moulin a vent 'rochegres' domaine du vissoux off the new and much improved wine list (£22.50) .

We then retired to our accomodation across the road. Basically they have converted a barn into 8 stunning rooms, a large communal lounge area, a full kitchen with bonnet range and a private dining room, fronted by a great deli.

we settled in, in front of the fire as the other guests made their way up to harome. there was a well stocked honesty bar but it was no trouble for the staff to pop across to the pub to bring regular large shipments of bitter, guinness etc for the thirsty masses (14 of us). They even proved us, gratis, with a very appetising afternoon snack of items from the shop, cheeses, slices of pie and tarts etc which was very well recieved. One of the bedrooms has a snooker table so some of the lads whiled away the afternoon playing pool and watching the footie/dvd's upstairs whilst the rest of us gently marinaded ourselves and talked bollocks as a group of men usually do.

At 6pm we returned to the star for a couple of liveners. At 8pm we returned to the piggery for canapes and a seemingly un-ending supply of louis roederer. Suitably livened we sat down for dinner at 9pm and started with butter roast sand hutton asparagus with cured, smoked belly pork, fried village qual egg, scallion butter. this was excellent the salty pork working really well with the asp and egg. (wine chateau de tracy pouilly fume 2000 £24.50)

we then had north sea lobster and puple congo potato salad, dill creme fraiche, cucumber and lemon balm. This was fine but a bit dry for my taste, potatoes were certainly unusual though. (leflaive rully 1er cru 2000 £23.50).

third was Roast loin of new season lamb with parsnip dauphinoise, early summer veg, garden mint juices. Another cracker, parsnip dauph also a neat variation. all went well with a super rossignol trappet gevery chambertin 1997 (£35).

A selection of cheeses was next, they basically made up a board and we ate it as and when into the early hours, a great idea. (tedeschi amarone classico 1998 £34.50)

Finally at somewhere past midnight and a little tired and emotional we had a selection of star deserts in minature, the usual suspect, lemon tart, creme brullee and ices, all good. (lous latour macon lugny 2001 £18.95).

coffee and homemade chocs finished

the rest is a bit of a blur, my body gave out at around 2am but others continued until 4 am.

The next day, feeling like death and unable to participate i saw the boys tucking into some seriously good fry-ups, all cooked to order. I also noticed the lifesaver too (and this gives you an idea of the attention to detail here) amongst the breakfast juices a carafe of tomato juice, tabasco and worcester sauce and a bottle of smirnoff. perfect. I even managed a bit of toast after that!

the bill of this little lot worked out at £110 per head for all the food and drink all day, which i think is pretty good value for an average 12 hours drinking per head and for the rooms, i averaged them all out at £100 per room. The menu alone was £45/head

if you book all 8 rooms as i did then you have the run of the place, and can sort out your own menu for the private dining room, i highly recommend it. Although my body does not :biggrin:

gary

you don't win friends with salad

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I had my 'stag night' at the star on saturday, and a fine venue it was for such an auspicious event.

i arrived bapi-esque fashion ie just in time for a sneaky lunch, this was braised faggotts with spring vegetable stew and thyme juices, topped with a fried duck egg (£9.50). I've had this before as a starter and although good, the third faggott was a bit heavy going, but it lined the stomach for an long day, accompanying this was (obviously excluding the omnipresent lager) a couple of bottles of moulin a vent 'rochegres' domaine du vissoux off the new and much improved wine list (£22.50) .

We then retired to our accomodation across the road. Basically they have converted a barn into 8 stunning rooms, a large communal lounge area, a full kitchen with bonnet range and a private dining room, fronted by a great deli.

we settled in, in front of the fire as the other guests made their way up to harome. there was a well stocked honesty bar but it was no trouble for the staff to pop across to the pub to bring regular large shipments of bitter, guinness etc for the thirsty masses (14 of us). They even proved us, gratis, with a very appetising afternoon snack of items from the shop, cheeses, slices of pie and tarts etc which was very well recieved. One of the bedrooms has a snooker table so some of the lads whiled away the afternoon playing pool and watching the footie/dvd's upstairs whilst the rest of us gently marinaded ourselves and talked bollocks as a group of men usually do.

At 6pm we returned to the star for a couple of liveners. At 8pm we returned to the piggery for canapes and a seemingly un-ending supply of louis roederer. Suitably livened we sat down for dinner at 9pm and started with butter roast sand hutton asparagus with cured, smoked belly pork, fried village qual egg, scallion butter. this was excellent the salty pork working really well with the asp and egg. (wine chateau de tracy pouilly fume 2000 £24.50)

we then had north sea lobster and puple congo potato salad, dill creme fraiche, cucumber and lemon balm. This was fine but a bit dry for my taste, potatoes were certainly unusual though. (leflaive rully 1er cru 2000 £23.50).

third was Roast loin of new season lamb with parsnip dauphinoise, early summer veg, garden mint juices. Another cracker, parsnip dauph also a neat variation. all went well with a super rossignol trappet gevery chambertin 1997 (£35).

A selection of cheeses was next, they basically made up a board and we ate it as and when into the early hours, a great idea. (tedeschi amarone classico 1998 £34.50)

Finally at somewhere past midnight and a little tired and emotional we had a selection of star deserts in minature, the usual suspect, lemon tart, creme brullee and ices, all good. (lous latour macon lugny 2001 £18.95).

coffee and homemade chocs finished

the rest is a bit of a blur, my body gave out at around 2am but others continued until 4 am.

The next day, feeling like death and unable to participate i saw the boys tucking into some seriously good fry-ups, all cooked to order. I also noticed the lifesaver too (and this gives you an idea of the attention to detail here) amongst the breakfast juices a carafe of tomato juice, tabasco and worcester sauce and a bottle of smirnoff. perfect. I even managed a bit of toast after that!

the bill of this little lot worked out at £110 per head for all the food and drink all day, which i think is pretty good value for an average 12 hours drinking per head  and for the rooms, i averaged them all out at £100 per room. The menu alone was £45/head

if you book all 8 rooms as i did then you have the run of the place, and can sort out your own menu for the private dining room, i highly recommend it. Although my body does not :biggrin:

gary

if only you didn't have to ruin what sounds like a great memory by getting married

S

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Come off it young Marshall, you don't really expect us all to believe that you can remember every course and wine you had on your stag do, do you ????? But ye gads man - 12 Hours and not one mention of a tactical coca cola anywhere !

A great idea, I wish I had done something similar for mine.

BTW - Rosie and I were wondering whether you had a requested a Liver transplant, for your good self, on your wedding list?

Edited by Bapi (log)
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Gary, I'm lost in awe and admiration and sighing for my youth. I love the hotel's touch with the Smirnoff next to the tomato juice at breakfast. A touchingly old fashioned recognition that alcoholism is a path that sometimes needs clearing rather than blocking.

Edited by Tonyfinch (log)
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bapi, as you know my memory post such functions is never great but i did have presence of mind to keep a menu and as i ordered the wines in advance (a nice touch, they sent me a preview of the new wine list for me to choose) i had the fax in my desk still!

re tactical coke, a good point i distinctly remember a bottle of coke and at least 3 glasses of water throughout the day, yet i still ended up completley b*llocksed, which i think is just not fair :biggrin:

and if i didn't need a new liver on sunday morning (actually a complete body was required then!) i certainly do after last nights visit to the chefs table at claridges, a fantastic night of top food, bollockings, matrix stars and the designer paul smith! more later when i've gathered my thoughts!

Tony, you're right about their attitude, they have this beautiull barn conversion that's cost them the best part of a million quid to renovate usuing fine interior decor, and not only do they welcome 14 leery blokes, they positively encourage them to eat and drink to excess!

I was slightly embarrassed to be chatting to jacquie pern the next morning given the state i was in but she was like ' it's the day after your stag do, its only right that you look and feel rough' ,one of my mates crashed out on the sofa for the night (and he was supposed to be staying next door), i thought they might be annoyed, she only expressed surprise that there was only one body comatose when they returned in the morning!

top place, top people, would make a great egullet dinner venue if anyone fancies the trek ooop north.

you don't win friends with salad

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  • 11 months later...

Wifey had decided that the bank holiday was better spent with her friend in Barcelona leaving me with a weekend to fill, and of course plenty of assistance from Sarah as how to do so, tile floors, etc. Funnily enough I had other plans, a quick call to a B& B secured a cheap couple of rooms in Harome and after my mate had finished cooking on Sunday lunchtime we headed up to harome.

Narrowly avoiding what passes as high entertainment up here, a tractor rally, we found the place actually quite quiet which was good as it allowed the chance to have a few quick pints outside before we had to secure a table in the bar (restaurant was full).

I was pleased to see that despite a bit of sunshine the fires were still going, it wouldn’t be the star if it didn’t smell of woodsmoke!

To start the afternoon’s adventure I had a crab salad with bloody mary dressing and ade a smoked eel risotto. The salad is a bit of a signature dish I fancied something light and dare I say piquant and it was indeed both. A mound of leaves with the mayo-y crab salad on top and reduced ‘dots’ of bloody mary around the plate. Only disagreement was I could have done with a bit more dressing on my leaves. The risottos here are very good, I usually go for one but fancied a change, ade’s was properly cooked and had decent chunks of eel in it, as well as other things that escape my mind.

We then split a fish course, off the specials board which did have a very good array of fish dishes that day. It was sea hake with a spider crab vinaigrette and brown shrimps. It came on a similar leaf base as the crab and we got two decent sized fillets with 2p sized bit of crab sprinkled amongst and plenty of shrimps, a very enjoyable dish.

We had a gruner veltliner with those dishes, a new addition to the list.

For mains we both went for the roe deer with a little venison cottage pie. It was the pie that did it! It was a rare saddle on pomme puree with the aforementioned pie and a nice red-winey/reduced stock sauce.

We then shared a cheese course which, with the help of the cheese menu and elliot the barman, we managed to decipher was a selection of perhaps 10 ‘mainly english but some comte and things in there too’ cheeses.

A gevery chambertain was good company here, can’t remember which as it was a new vintage and producer than was on the list.

Of course it would be rude not to have desert and of course ruder still not to have the star deserts in minature, which I would usually share, but not this time! Ade had a banana bread and butter pudding which he really liked and I munched my way merrily through the star assiette which had the usual tarts, cakes, ice and jellies on it. A couple of black muscats helped this little lot down.

Coffee and chocs followed, as did a medicinal calva. At this point (about 8.30) the pub was pretty much deserted apart from us, a barmaid, and another couple. However we needn’t have worried. We retired to prop the bar up, where a most strange thing occurred.

I was beginning to feel uncomfortably full!

The post prandial lagers weren’t helping so a couple more large calva’s over the next hour seemed to do the trick. By this point the pub was filling up again with regulars, the classical music was replaced with kylie and beyonce and a dance area was established with yours truly strutting his stuff :biggrin:

The star breakfasts are justifiably quite famous and as I missed my chance to have one on my stag do due to over indulgence I asked jaquie if we could have breakfast at ‘the piggery’ and she agreed.

We turned up at 9.30 not looking very clever, they had set us up a couple of places at the bar area- right in front of the chefs range, and about 400 degrees, just what we needed after a heavy night! Two pots of earl grey and a full english went someway to restoring balance to our jaded bodies.

A quick trip to the shop for some supplies and then a very steady drive home completed a very enjoyable night out.

Needless to sat Monday was a washout, but I’m booked in again for my anniversary in June, I can’t wait!

gary

you don't win friends with salad

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By this point the pub was filling up again with regulars, the classical music was replaced with kylie and beyonce and a dance area was established with yours truly strutting his stuff  :biggrin:

Wow! am not sure if I should be scared or impressed by the above fact - I had a stupendous lunch at the Star Inn earlier that afternoon and we were all so stuffed afterwards that we could barely stand up!! it was all we could do to stagger to the garden seats at the back and enjoy the unseasonable sunshine!

Was my first visit, and even though it took me an hour to drive from Leeds - was most enjoyable and seemed to have convinced my friends they should donate stomach space to my new year's resolution - i.e. eating in better restaurants. We now have a hit list for West / North Yorkshire .... and I think I might do alright for sticking to the resolutions this year

cheers

Yin

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  • 1 month later...

The other Sunday saw another trip to the star, I must declare it is a personal favourite. I can’t say I was particularly quick off the blocks to spot it only venturing through the door once it gained a Michelin star but ever since then I have been a regular visitor to this idyllic country pub, and as we got engaged post a trip to the star and spent our wedding night there, it seemed appropriate to spend our first anniversary night there too.

We had managed to book one of the rooms in the cross house lodge the 8 room barn conversion/dining room/shop across the road from the pub itself and planned an early afternoon arrival before dinner at 6pm (no I haven’t gone all Californian, they serve food 12 till 6pm on a Sunday) However a ‘missing’ cat just before we were due to leave saw me hunting through fields for a hour before we found said cat, locked in a wardrobe but seemingly unfussed by 4 people shouting his name! So a not-at-government-endorsed-speed dash up to harome saw us there for about 5.30pm time for a quick shower then across to the pub for a much needed pint.

As it happened there was not a mad rush for food, as England were playing France that evening the place was very quiet but that mattered not.

Lager turned into celebratory champagne, (not literally, I mean it’s a good pub but alchemy is a bit beyond their talents) as we ordered. I’m a sucker for risotto generally and theirs is usually pretty unctuous, today’s was asparagus with goats cheese if memory serves and mrs m had a goats cheese and pesto salad with an avocado beignet.

We normally eat in the bar but had actually booked a table in the bijou restaurant full of food related prints, wine bottle labels on the ceiling, that sort of eclectic but well chosen sort of décor that in the wrong hands is just tat but done well works superbly.

Starters appeared promptly and mrs m’s pesto salad was enlivened by the unexpected addition of a shot glass of ‘something green’ I think it was a basil veloute sort of thing, given Chef Andrew Pern’s habit of twisting classic ingredients. It had the beignet on top and the well dressed salad around. My risotto came as the asparagus risotto in one pot and a separate goats cheese salad very daintily dressed with thyme flowers. The asparagus was lighter than usual but none the worse for it.

My main course was a roast monkfish tail with celeriac mash and shellfish sauce. Mrs M had a starter but main course sized seared tuna on a mackerel ceasar salad. The monkfish was a decent chunk cut into medallions on the mash bed with six or so pools of sauce with a shelled prawn on each. I liked it but wasn’t overly keen on the mash, nothing wrong with it but anything other than potato mash is wasted calories in my book. Mrs m’s tuna was two huge steaks cooked rare on the salad , the bit I had was excellent, the dressing having quite a kick, to be fair if she’d only been given one steak it would have seemed a fair portion.

With this we had a bin-end rolly gasman Riesling, which as Riesling does, covered the dishes nicely.

We then shared a cheeseboard, which was a decent selection of 8 or so English cheeses which were good but would have benefited from an explanation or being plated in strength order, I normally ask but this time was quite happy just to get stuck in. There may also have been port at this time, but if not there was certainly Elysium black Muscat to go with the selection of star deserts which is always a great selection of deserts in minature usually along the lines of a few small tarts/cakes, an ice cream, a jelly and a caramelised five point star on the top.

We were offered coffee in the garden and being a nice customer and sensing they wanted to clean down the dining room and get finished we went outside, where I have never ventured before, (not a big fan of English alfresco dining, never one of our strong points) but here it was fine. And had good cafetiere coffee and homemade petit fours (with the usual fight over the fudge!) Elliott the bar manager wandered through and mentioned the bar was deserted so we decided post coffee to head back to the room………. to watch the end of the football, and a calvados for me from the honesty bar in the lodge for me and a snooze for mrs m.

Post footie, as expected the bar rapidly filled up and many pints were consumed.

In my perverse world feeling rough the next day is usually a good indicator of a good night out, and it must be said I’ve never felt less than dog rough following a night at the star (except went I went with bapi- but that’s like drinking with your little sister). But breakfast at cross house is worth the effort, I still rue the one I missed post my stag do that I just couldn’t face! A full English with scrambled eggs (with the cheeky addition of tarragon) & lashings of Earl Grey sorted me out and left me looking forward to another night/lunch/breakfast - I’m not fussy at the star.

you don't win friends with salad

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In my perverse world feeling rough the next day is usually a good indicator of a good night out, and it must be said I’ve never felt less than dog rough following a night at the star (except went I went with bapi- but that’s like drinking with your little sister).

Note even the legendary Ollie Reed could have kept up with you mate. :biggrin:

Edited by Bapi (log)
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But what would we northerners do then?

The problem is that it's getting too popular. Our regular Sunday late lunches there used to see us getting a table in the bar within forty minutes, now we're up to seventy or so, which is just a little too long when you're already starving!

We were looking at getting married there, but thought we'd just spend all our time eating.

And I've been told that's NOT what you're meant to do at your own wedding.

The Deli over the road is great too.

It no longer exists, but it was lovely.

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Mrs M had a starter but main course sized seared tuna on a mackerel ceasar salad

Now, I'm very interested in this as I eat a mackerel salad at least once a week.

Was it a regular caesar dressing? Any additional out of the ordinary little stuff throw in the salad?

any details gratefully recieved.

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  • 4 months later...

The clocks change, the nights draw in, it's becoming colder, all good news

That can only mean it's time to start visiting the star again!

A few trips were planned but on the basis that i drive up and mrs marshall drives back a fair amount of goodwill is required on her behalf and they got scrapped but last saturday we made our way up to harome for a spot of lunch.

I have mentioned before it's quite dark inside the star, very atmospheric but as i clattered through the door temporarliy blinded i nearly took out Jaquie Pern as i stumbled over a stool but disaster was averted and i soon found my usual spot on the right hand side of the bar, near the fire. I am a creature of habit.

There's a daily menu hand written menu and a specials board too, the specials looked more comprehensive than previous visits and from the board i had a watercress & goats cheese soup with avocado beignets and a gloucester old spot casserole with pear and ginger and a tarragon risotto. Sarah had her usual the 'posh' ploughmans.

The soup was good, the goats cheese incorporated into the soup, sometimes they leave it in chunks and the beignets added interest.

The old spot casserole was huge chunks of long cooked pork with a pot of very unctous tarragion risotto. As they are two of my favourites i was very happy with this little pot! I got veg with it in the form of potatoes, red cabbage and beans all served in individual copper pots but they were superfluous, the casserole bu itslef was substantial enough.

Sarah's ploughmans came on the usual mousey thompson platter and consisted of pork pie, thickly carved ham, cheeses comte, montgomerys etc and salad leaves, it always looks very tempting!

I had to stop myself from ordering the selection of star deserts in minature, was very close to the montgomery cheddar rarebit and finally settled on 2 cheeses from the board, a montgomery cheddar and a mrs bell's blue, both were sizable chunks, but i manfully struggled through, with a glass of port helping them down!

Wines were a glass of sauvignon to kick off then a bottle of Chateau Auris, cuvee prestige (£18.95). A very nice corbiere from a chateau owned by leeds restaurateur guy laval of la grillade. I have drunk gallons of this stuff over the years and it is a very quaffable wine, the cuvee prestige a little more refined.

A cafetiere of coffee accompanied by their home made chocs and fudge rounded the lunch off, bill was £63.

I will be back again soon.....

cheers

gary

you don't win friends with salad

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  • 1 month later...

he he he!

going up for christmas eve dinner!

we usually go up for lunch on christmas eve, but mrs marshall is working. We got engaged on christmas eve after lunch at the star- ahhh!

(yes, it was planned the champagne and oysters had nothing to do with it- although at the last minute mrs-to-be marshall said she didn't have time to go for lunch she was too busy i had to put my size 11's down!).

i like the thought of jan moir sitting at home looking at the web-site after a poor me-too meal out in london. She is often very supercillious about out of the m25 restaurants.

i am very happy with my non-london dining scene :biggrin:

cheers

gary

you don't win friends with salad

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That's a lovely idea--we're off there today. We got engaged after dinner at Le Bernadin--it's a bit more expensive to fly back there every year (actually with the exchange rates, it might not be..)

lucky you!

i knew i shouldn't have gloated about my trip, and not factoring in the ability of mrs marshall to change her mind, looks like i am now cooking on christmas eve instead grrrr!

gary

you don't win friends with salad

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