seen from China
seen from Indonesia
seen from United States
seen from Netherlands
seen from Malaysia
seen from China
seen from Hungary
seen from Portugal
seen from Germany
seen from China
seen from Pakistan
seen from Yemen
seen from United States
seen from United Kingdom
seen from Australia
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seen from United States
seen from Singapore
seen from Singapore
Finally on a break for the winter holidays and yesterday we took mama to one of my favourite places in Yorkshire, a 14th century inn in the middle of nowhere. I especially love this former dormitory which is the perfect wintery setting for curling up with a coffee after a big meal.
North York Moors: An insider's guide
North York Moors: An insider’s guide
From the windswept bracken and heath of the moorland to the quaintly charming seaside towns, The North York Moors may well be a contender for one of the most beautiful places in Britain. I was born and brought up on the northern edge of The North York Moors. At the weekend, throughout the summer, we’d cycle or drive down esk dale or rosedale, or into the daffodil valley of farndale, go fishing…
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The Star Inn, Harome
By Heck, where do the weeks go? The last you heard from me was to tell you all about my bro’s 30th birthday cake but I’ve shamefully yet to let you know about the other main eating event of that weekend; celebratory lunch at my all time favourite, The Star Inn. Today is Yorkshire Day which served as a fitting reminder/ kick up the arse to get this post out into the internet ether and let you gain insight into the menu of my greatest restaurant loves. Ok, so I’ve already bigged-up The Star before but that was in winter light with only an iPhone (3, no less!) for documentary purposes, this time it was summer and I was packing the digital. Brace yourselves.
We had a bit of a walk in the neighbouring countryside before to build up an appetite and soak in the glorious vista that is Yorkshire when surveyed from on height in the sunshine.
Everyone was working a bit of a thirst by the end - not least these guys.
Get a load of Fergus’ tongue!
After a very quick alcoholic pit stop at a local, we hopped in the car and a few minutes later arrived at our destination.
The weather being what it was, we had our sparkling aperativo al fresco in The Star’s herb and vegetable garden. Here we weighed up our menu options and indulged in a casual family photoshoot before moving inside to await our lunch.
In the dining room you’ll find plenty of Star memorabilia - The Blonde had his own opinions on this but I say if you’ve been in this business as long as Pern and the team have, why not make a bit of noise about it. Longevity and continued quality are rare occurrences in the restaurant world and you can’t simply rely on Mr Michelin for recognition; The Star has been awarded, lost and regained their star over the years so knows this more than most.
And anyway, once you’ve sampled their warm fresh and squidgy black pudding bread with salted butter. you’ll pretty much forgive them anything.
As far as I’m concerned, in terms of Star starters there’s really only one way to go - Black pudding, foie gras, apple and vanilla chutney and Scrumpy reduction. Total death row dish.
Other highlights included Loose Birds of Harome chicken liver ‘petit truffe’ with elderflower jelly, dill toast and herb salad. We get our Christmas turkey from Loose Birds every year and those guys don’t disappoint - they know their fowl.
Served up with a generous grating of fresh truffle.
Just yes.
Poached ballotine of wild sea trout with smoked cod’s roe, candied fennel and samphire and a squid ink cracker.
Onto the mains:
Pan roasted Hartlepool landed wild sea bass with truffled celeriac puree, wilted sea kale, oyster and Avruga caviar veloute.
A plate of Ryedale reared lamb in its many myriad forms - tongue, cheek, cutlet, belly, HAGGIS (!), choux farce (who knows?) with some picked red onion on the side to offset the richness.
Ground provisions of creamy potato dauphinoise and greens.
Time for pudding:
An amped-up sticky apple tart with perfectly crisp pastry, garden lavender, Harome honey ice cream and pistachio granola
Ice creams including elderflower, the aforementioned local honey and sour cherry
Garden lemon verbena ‘burnt cream’ with ‘cured’ sunshine fruits and coconut water ice.
Back out into the open for coffee, petit fours plus a Baileys latte and brownie for the birthday boy.
As perfect days go, the combination of awesome family, ridiculously great food and weather that actually works is the ultimate.
But there’s always one who’s got to lower the tone.
The Star Inn, Main Street, Harome, North Yorkshire, YO62 5JE
The second stop on our Yorkshire tour is The Pheasant – a country hotel in Harome. The sun is shining and we are sitting outside on a terrace overlooking the village pond. It is very tranquil and we are disturbed, only briefly, by a passing tractor. Other guests are enjoying the sun and the food and most are just shooting the breeze over lunch.
We decide to target and share the Lightly Smoked Duck Breast, Confit Duck Leg Fritter and Beetroot. It is beautifully presented and tastes truly fabulous.
Rock hunts down the North Sea Halibut with Maple Glazed Gem Lettuce, Peas and Shrimp. She is not a big fan of shrimps, so I enjoy poaching them off her plate. I trap the Gloucester Old Spot Pork Loin and Belly, Smoked Butter Mash, Black Pudding and Apple. None of the dishes are huge – but I’m not going to grouse about it – because this is definitely quality rather than quantity.
For dessert we share the Honey Heather Yoghurt, Red Grape Sorbet and Honeycomb. The sorbet is loaded with flavour and the honeycomb fires in a shot of sweetness.
The service and the food that the Pheasant provides show us they are on top of their game!
Lunch@The Pheasant, Harome The second stop on our Yorkshire tour is The Pheasant - a country hotel in Harome. The sun is shining and we are sitting outside on a terrace overlooking the village pond.
PAST MASTERS: SCULPTURES FROM ANCIENT ROMAN EMPIRE.
Characteristics:
Mainly made for leaders and important people.
Statues made of bronze but also marble.
Busts made of marble.
Wanted to show greatness and power.
Examples:
http://past-masters.tumblr.com/post/100368244503/bust-of-julius-ceasar-made-of-marble-located
http://past-masters.tumblr.com/post/100367965448/statue-of-julius-ceasar-made-of-marble
Bust of Julius Ceasar.
Made of Marble.
Located in France.
Sculpted in 46 BC.
Original: http://www.romanemperors.com/images/julius-caesar/4-napoli-museum-bust.jpg
Statue of Julius Ceasar.
Made of Marble.
Located in Rome
Original: http://www.corbisimages.com/images/Corbis-GNEU2330.jpg?size=67&uid=02064a89-06f6-41a0-98ec-f7f365293080
It was great to film our first wedding of the year yesterday, such an awesome couple and friendly guests!
