Andrew Pern

Overall ranking: 100

Chef rating: 19

Snapshot

Andrew Pern is the chef-proprietor of the 34-seat Star Inn at Harome, near Helmsley in North Yorkshire, where his wife Jacquie looks after the bar and front of house. It is one of just three pubs in the UK to hold a Michelin star.

The Perns have built up a thriving business in Yorkshire that includes rooms, a gourmet village shop and deli, an upmarket tearoom at Scampston, and a butcher's shop in Helmsley.

Career guide
Pern, who is in his mid-thirties, was born in the Esk Valley in North Yorkshire. He spent three years at Scarborough Technical College before joining the 11-bedroom Milburn Arms hotel at Rosedale Abbey in North Yorkshire, where he was promoted to head chef at the age of 22.

It was here that he met his wife, Jacquie, who was manageress of the hotel. The couple struck out on their own when they bought the 14th century Star Inn in June 1996. It gained a Michelin entry in 1998 and a star rating in 2002.

What we think

Pern is a largely self-taught chef whose hearty northern dishes have been influenced by Paul Heathcote's restaurant in Longridge, Lancashire, and Raymond Blanc's Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons in Oxfordshire.

Pern is a keen champion of local and British produce and his style is characterised by the juxtaposition of cheap and refined ingredients, such as foie gras with black pudding.

The Perns' success - and remote location - has fuelled their steady expansion. After renovating the semi-derelict Star, they quickly added a coffee loft and a private dining room for 10.

In October 2001 they bought a derelict barn across the road and opened part of this a month later as the Corner Shop selling local produce and deli items. The rest became the eight-double-bedroom Cross House Lodge which opened in September 2002 with its own dining room, the Wheeler restaurant. The Perns also lease out rooms at the Black Eagle Cottage in the village.

Pern was one of a handful of top chefs in 2003 asked to devise dishes for the North Yorkshire route run by Great Northern Eastern Railway. A year later, the couple opened The Star at Scampston, an upmarket tearoom at the mini-stately home with public gardens that has a purpose-built kitchen for cookery demonstrations and courses.

In December last year the Perns added a nearby butcher's shop to their business. Called Perns of Helmsley, it serves meats, Neal Yard cheeses and deli items and will have a bar area.

The Perns are respected for their commitment to the local community and staff training. They use village suppliers as far as possible and, in 2003, had six employees from the local college. On top of in-house training, the Perns take staff to visit suppliers and Michelin-star restaurants.