The creaking inn sign at Harome shows a star, but the real symbol of the place is a glowing brazier outside which Andrew and Jacquie Pern keep blazing during opening hours. Although perilously close to thatch that all but engulfs their 14th-century pub, it is a sign of hospitality, which, even with the Michelin-starred food, is the distinction of the Perns' extraordinary empire in a dozy valley below the North York Moors.

London celebrities often eat here, along with the gentry who abound in this very un-gritty part of the north, but anyone is welcome for a snack in the bar, the beer garden or, as often as not, around the brazier. Tell people that you're off to dine at Harome and they'll ask, "How many years ago did you book?" But, as Andrew says, "Farm lads are just as likely to stop by on their tractors for a drink and a snack. It's still the local, however many awards for cooking we win."

Andrew did his training at Scarborough tech and the Milburn Arms at Rosedale Abbey, a rendezvous of shooting parties, which now also gather at the Star. Although pals with Yorkshire counterparts such as Anthony Flinn, the young innovator at Anthony's in Leeds, Andrew never wanted to follow their footsteps to El Bulli, et al. His recipes for 1,000 covers a week branch out into the wilder areas of the imagination, but their roots - the fresh produce - are almost all from within 20 miles.

The Perns are as local as their produce: he is a farmer's son from near Whitby, Jacquie a farmer's daughter from Hartoft, where swathes of heather start on the moorland of the national park. They rescued the Star from dereliction in 1996. It had an illustrious history as a medieval monks' staging post, and then under Dicky Dresser won the 1971 Egon Ronay Pub of the Year award. "Big names came in those days, too," says Andrew, "but then it turned into a bit of a gin palace."

Initial success for the Perns led to expansion and the carefully inter-related empire. Perns Butchers in Helmsley gets the game and meat, including beef from Jacquie's parents. A barn and lovely thatched cottage sleeps guests. The cafe at Scampston Hall's new walled garden spreads the Harome name.

But, like the universal welcome - "Absolutely no dress code here," says Andrew, who summarises hospitality simply as "generosity" - the underlying strength of the Star is its role in village life. The Perns reopened the long-defunct shop as an unusual mixture of deli and supplier of newspapers and milk; they support the cricket XI and help the church, too. "I used to come here as a boy," says Andrew, "and there's nowhere else I'd rather be."

Pressed terrine of Yorkshire gammon with fried ledstone quail egg, spiced pineapple pickle, mustard seed dressing

The pickle can be made ahead: it lasts for three to four weeks. Makes one terrine (eight to 10 slices).

For the spiced pineapple pickle

1 pineapple, skinned, cored and finely chopped

1 clove garlic, crushed

1 tsp grain mustard

3 tbsp white-wine vinegar

A few saffron strands

150g demerara sugar

A pinch of salt

For the terrine

3 ham knuckles

6 bayleaves

1 large onion, chopped in half

2 carrots, peeled

6 whole cloves

6 black peppercorns

6-8 large slices York ham

50g shallots, finely chopped

20g flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped

Salt and pepper

Ground mixed spice

2 sheets leaf gelatine, soaked

1 quail egg per person

Olive oil

50g mixed leaves and herbs

20ml grain mustard vinaigrette (ie, four parts olive oil to one part white-wine vinegar, with grain mustard and a pinch of sugar, all whisked until emulsified)

First make the pickle. Put all the ingredients into a heavy-bottomed pan, and simmer gently for an hour and a half - it will turn a lovely golden yellow colour. When at the right 'pickle' consistency, spoon into an airtight jar, leave to cool, then seal.

Put the ham knuckles, bayleaves, onion, carrot, cloves and peppercorns in a pan, cover with cold water, bring to a boil and cook for two and a half to three hours until the meat is tender.

While the ham is cooking, line a terrine mould first with clingfilm, leaving plenty of overhang, then with York ham. Once the knuckle is done, remove from the pan, leave to cool slightly, then, while still warm, cut the meat off the bones. Put in a bowl with the shallots, parsley, seasoning and mixed spice. Mix, then pack into the mould.

Ladle 500ml of the ham stock into a pan - check it's not too salty; if it is, dilute with cold water. Warm it gently, add the gelatine, stir to dissolve and pour into the mould. Overlap the edges of York ham to cover the filling, then cover tightly with the overhanging clingfilm - the terrine needs to be quite solid and 'packed' - and place in the fridge with a uniform weight on top for even pressing. Leave overnight.

To serve, turn out the terrine, unwrap the clingfilm, then cut into 2cm slices. Place a slice in the centre of a cold dinner plate. Shallow-fry the quail eggs in a little olive oil. Spoon three piles of pickle at intervals around the terrine, place a little leaf garnish between the pickle mounds, then put an egg on top of the terrine. Grind a little pepper on top, then drizzle the vinaigrette around. Serve at once.

Beer-battered Scarborough woof with seared scallops, warm fortune's kipper salad, tartare hollandaise

Once all the component parts are assembled, this is in fact a pretty simple dish to put together. Serves four as a starter.

For the beer batter

15g fresh yeast

300ml dark beer

225g flour

1 tsp salt

For the fish

12 x 50g pieces woof (or cod)

Seasoned flour, for dusting

Vegetable oil, for deep-frying

8 king scallops, cleaned and removed from their shells

Olive oil

For the salad

A few mixed leaves - bull's blood, landcress, flat-leaf parsley, etc

A dash of vinaigrette

Cooked kipper meat, boned and kept warm

For the tartare hollandaise

200ml basic hollandaise mixed with chopped capers, gherkins, flat-leaf parsley, shallots, a squeeze of lemon juice and seasoning 1 dash vinegar 1 pinch chopped chives Chervil, to garnish A few croutons, to garnish

First make the batter. Dissolve the yeast in a little beer, then gradually add the rest of the beer. Sieve the flour and salt into a bowl, make a well in the centre, and pour in the beer mixture. Whisk into a batter, cover, then set aside at room temperature for an hour.

When you're ready to eat, coat the woof in seasoned flour, then dip into the batter and deep fry until golden brown - about three to four minutes. While that's cooking, season the scallops, heat some oil in a pan, and sear the shellfish for a minute on each side. Dress the salad leaves, then mix in the flaked kipper meat.

To serve, take a long plate and lay a piece of woof at one end. Next to it place a mound of the salad and next to that a scallop, then more salad, then more woof, and finally a second scallop. Sprinkle a little vinegar and chives on the woof, and spoon a little hollandaise on each scallop. Garnish with chervil and croutons, and serve.

Baked ginger parkin with rhubarb ripple ice cream, hot spiced syrup

A real north country dish, and one of my all-time favourites. We came up with the idea five or six years ago, and everybody seems to love it. The parkin is best made three weeks in advance, to allow the flavours to develop. The ice cream, too, can obviously be made in advance and kept in the freezer, but don't hold on to it for more than 48 hours, otherwise it will lose much of its flavour. Serves eight.

For the parkin

100g self-raising flour

Pinch of salt

2 tsp ground ginger

½ tsp ground nutmeg

½ tsp mixed spice

75g oatmeal

175g Golden Syrup

50g black treacle

100g butter

100g soft brown sugar

1 egg, beaten

2 dssp milk

For the ice cream

200ml full-fat milk

250ml double cream

½ vanilla pod, split and scraped out

6 egg yolks

100g caster sugar

250g rhubarb, chopped and slightly stewed with 50g sugar

For the syrup

8 tbsp Golden Syrup

1 pinch mixed ground spice

A splash of dry cider

Preheat the oven to 140C/275F/gas mark 1. Sieve together the flour, salt, ginger, nutmeg and mixed spice. Mix in the oatmeal. In a pan, melt the syrup, treacle, butter and sugar, and simmer - do not boil - then stir in the dry mix and blend together. Add the egg and milk, to create a soft, almost pouring consistency, then tip into a greased 20cm cake tin. Bake for an hour and a half until firm in the centre. Leave to stand for half an hour before turning out. Store in an airtight container.

For the ice cream, make a crème anglaise (that's a posh term for custard) with the first five ingredients, then cool and churn in an ice-cream machine. Meanwhile, sieve the stewed rhubarb, reduce the juice and set aside to cool. Once cold, add the juice to the cream. When the cream is nearly frozen, stir in the rhubarb pulp to give the ripple effect, then turn off the machine. Put all the syrup ingredients in a heavy-based pot and gently warm through.

To serve, place a wedge of parkin on the plate, dribble over some syrup, and place a scoop of ice cream to one side.

· The Star Inn, Harome, near Helmsley, North Yorkshire, 01439 770397 (thestaratharome.co.uk).