A new star is born in blessed village.

"THIS is so good, I don’t want it to end,” Sylvia said, halfway through her fillet of lamb with root vegetable terrine and button mushroom duxelle.

Slightly pink, tender as lamb could possibly be without being dissolvable, it was, she declared, the best piece of meat she had tasted since the Tontine’s epic mixed grill (I know, I know, that’s only a couple of weeks ago but her memory’s not what it was).

Any deficiency in the wife’s powers of recall may be excused because, as the lamb glistened on the plate, one could tell just by looking that it was the very essence of lamb. It almost went baa.

I had been in a similar state of culinary ecstasy with my starter, slow cooked pork belly with Yorkshire rhubarb and a shrimp sauce. Every mouthful seemed to take a tour round my palate with a checklist – savoury crackling, mildly salty pork, sharp then sweet rhubarb and full circle with the fishy savoury shrimp. The crackling was spectacularly good in its light, crisp, salty perfection.

But first things first. We were in the Pheasant Hotel in Harome, a North Yorkshire village which must wonder what it did to deserve not only a Michelin-starred pub, The Star, but a top-notch country hotel as well. All this epicurean good fortune has been bestowed on the village by the Pern family, who own not just the Star and the Pheasant, but the village shop, and a butcher cum deli in Helmsley, which will shortly start selling fish. Oh and last year Andrew managed to turn out an award-winning cookbook as well.

The Pheasant opened last year having been given a topto- toe refurbishment which extended from the bedrooms to the indoor swimming pool and beauty spa. The interior of the bar, lounges and dining room are still recognisably those of a country hotel but with a contemporary twist. A vast inglenook fireplace surrounded by a variety of stuffed wildfowl, fox furs and hunting horns is a traditional country pub environment.

The predominantly grey tones and lounge sofas make it all look very classy.

The dining room is formally laid-out and benefits from views of the village duck pond. There also an airy conservatory next door, on this occasion set aside for a large family party.

Glassware, napery and cutlery were all top-dollar, as was the service. Our waiter, Paul, had the priceless gifts of being knowledgeable without being a smart-alec, courteous without being obsequious and in possession of a sixth sense and eyes-in-the-backof the-head nouse to know exactly when we required anything, at the same time as he was being equally attentive to the three other tables in the room.

Apart from the lamb and the pork belly, we thoroughly enjoyed a rich duck and leek terrine, particularly the almost musky mulled pear chutney that came with it, and a slab of fresh pollack, poached in Noilly Prat. The fish just seemed to soak up all the aromatic, oily, herby flavour from the vermouth and was topped with a mussel and herb crust with some sweet baby leeks on the side.

Sylvia’s lamb had come with the terrine of root vegetables but we were also served with a bowl of more winter veg and stupendous roast potatoes – the right level of crispness, colour and, inside, fluffiness.

Standards didn’t falter with the desserts, a rich and deeply chocolate-ty, dark chocolate tart with white chocolate ice cream. Sylvia loved her rhubarb and custard cheesecake and the exquisitely- constructed custard cream biscuit that accompanied it. Suffice to say it didn’t look like the type that comes from a packet.

Despite Sylvia’s wishful thinking, it did come to an end. At £27.50 per head for three courses (£22.50 for two), some might say this is an expensive Sunday lunch. In truth, it’s a bargain because the work chef and part-owner Peter Neville conducts in the kitchen is the equal of its more illustrious establishment nearby (where Mr Neville has also worked).

Indeed, those who might feel a bit intimidated by the Star’s reputation may find the Pheasant more to their liking.

It is a little less grand and formal but the standards of food and service are easily on a par.