The country house hotel
At one end of the pretty village of Harome sits the old beamed and thatched Star Inn run by the convivial Andrew Pern, while at the other end of the village, is the Pheasant run by Jacquie Silk. Two stellar restaurants in one small village. You really can’t have too much of a good thing in Harome.
The Star has always bathed in the limelight, the boisterous big brother to its demure younger sibling, the Pheasant. Andrew rides the highs and the lows with his extrovert charm, while Jacquie discreetly gets on with the job. Now after ten years, the Pheasant has matured into the complete package of an elegant country house hotel with excellent food.
Beyond an ivy-covered archway, The Pheasant’s interior soothes the soul at every turn. It’s not just the soft lights, candles and log fires but the burnished silver, polished oak and acres of sofas and plumped up cushions. The lounge leads onto a vine-laden terrace overlooking the village duck pond for summer lunches and afternoon tea. Opt simply for tea and scones with jam and cream or go for the whole package with the addition of sandwiches, cakes and a glass of Champagne.
In winter the dark and snug bar comes into its own, with tartan throws and winged chairs – hints of a Scottish hunting lodge crossed with a gentleman’s club. Sooner or later someone will thrust a drink into your hand and offer you a menu. In the bar, it’s simple but superior comforts like sausage and mash, a burger, steak and chips or sandwiches and salad taken at a big scrubbed table or cosily by the fire.
Dinner is a more elaborate event in the dining room or conservatory, featuring a seasonal seven-course tasting menu or à la carte. An autumn dinner had Whitby crab, lamb with apricot, stone bass with lemon velouté finishing with elderflower and apple sorbet. Vegetarians are well catered for as are children with a sensible but fun Pheasant Chicks menu. The Pheasant is elegant and pleasing dining in the most cosseting setting.