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Wedding Guitar at The Star Inn at Harome: An Intimate Yorkshire Celebration
Posted on: 28 May 2014
On 28 May 2014, I travelled to The Star Inn at Harome, near Helmsley in North Yorkshire, to play for Kate’s wedding breakfast. With just 20 guests, this was an intimate celebration in a beautiful restaurant with fantastic food.
I also came home with two cookbooks. They have been providing entertainment of a rather different kind in my own kitchen ever since.
A beautiful restaurant near Helmsley
The Star Inn occupies a thatched building dating back to the fourteenth century, full of the character you would hope to find in an old Yorkshire inn. Low ceilings and old beams give it a warmth that suits a small celebration particularly well.
Under chef Andrew Pern, it has built a considerable reputation for its cooking, with a strong connection to Yorkshire produce. Its first Michelin star came in 2002, and it regained the accolade later in 2014, the year of Kate’s wedding.
I already knew this part of Yorkshire through performances in and around York, often staying in Scoreby, near Stamford Bridge. When Kate first contacted me, I told her it was a beautiful part of the world. The opportunity to return for a wedding at The Star was a very welcome one.
Solo guitar for a wedding breakfast with 20 guests
Kate wanted music during the meal, initially suggesting around six until half past seven. With a small wedding like this, the guitar becomes part of a shared dining experience: guests can enjoy the music while talking comfortably across the table.
Playing during a wedding breakfast calls for a particular awareness of the room. There is conversation to leave space for, food arriving and changes in the level of activity as the meal unfolds. The music needs to feel at home within all of that.
It is a setting I enjoy. Solo guitar offers plenty of musical detail without needing a large ensemble, and at an intimate dinner there is room for its quieter side to be heard.
The following afternoon, Kate sent a short message:
“Thank you for your performance yesterday.
It really did make our celebration extra special.”
A lovely thing to read after the journey home.
Black pudding, foie gras and two books to take home
One of The Star’s signature dishes brings together grilled black pudding and pan-fried foie gras. The combination is so closely associated with Andrew Pern that it also gives his first cookbook its name: Black Pudding & Foie Gras.
I left the wedding with that book and his second, Loose Birds & Game. Between them, they offered plenty of inspiration to take a little of The Star’s cooking home with me.
Since then, I have been treating my partner to dishes from the books—and occasionally torturing her with my failed attempts. My enthusiasm has sometimes been a little ahead of my ability, but they have certainly been used.
Most weddings leave me with musical memories. Kate’s celebration at The Star Inn also left me with a lasting addition to my kitchen, and a partner who has had to live with the consequences.
