The Michelin-starred restaurant Star Inn at Harome in the North of England was ‘reduced to ashes’ last week after a fire broke out on its thatched roof. The 14th-century inn set ablaze late in the evening on Wednesday 24 November and required more than 40 firefighters to put out the flames - a tragedy that’s being treated by police as arson.
Investigators believe the fire was started deliberately with the North Yorkshire police commenting: ''Following an examination of the scene by police crime scene investigators and fire investigation officers, it is now believed that the fire was started deliberately.''
“A number of groups of people were in the area around the time of the fire, and police are urging anyone with information about the incident to contact them.”
Apparently, Pern received a call after 10pm to say the roof was alight. Luckily, no one was hurt and everyone had been evacuated from the building by the time fire support arrived.
The restaurant tweeted during the incident: ''It’s been a long night so far…..I’m afraid we won’t be open for a while as we are reduced to ashes with The Star on fire and still burning, residents please call after 9 am’’.
Meanwhile, head chef and owner Andrew Pern told BBC Radio York: ‘’With it being a 14th-century thatched pub, it didn’t really stand a chance once the fire had got hold’’.
Pern said he expects it will take up to a year to get the pub and restaurant up and running again but added that the newer section of the pub ‘’should be ok, so we'll be able to function in a fashion, somehow".
The Star Inn at Harome held a Michelin star for much of Pern’s tenure and was considered one of the best gastropubs in the country. Situated on the edge of North Yorkshire, the inn served modern British fare with a focus on locally-sourced and seasonal ingredients and was second on the list of the Top 50 Gastropubs in the UK. Andrew Pern was a finalist on the Great British Menu 2011.
The Michelin Guide had only praise for the inn, commenting that the ‘’thatched building oozes character with its low beamed ceilings and fires burning in the grates. While the restaurant side has a plush, luxurious feel [...] This is a place that proudly champions its home county, with fish sourced from Whitby, game from the Yorkshire Moors and vegetables from the kitchen garden’’.
In other news, Claridge’s closes restaurant after the hotel refuses to allow head chef to make it fully vegan