The 14th-century thatched inn’s roof has suffered significant damage after the blaze began at around 10pm on Wednesday night in the North Yorkshire village.

The Star is a Michelin-starred gastropub owned by top chef Andrew Pern, and the business tweeted that they had been “reduced to ashes” by the fire.

Today the fire service confirmed the fire began in the thatched roof itself, which was mostly destroyed, but crews – those from Helmsley, Kirkbymoorside, Pickering and Huntington who battled through the night to keep the incident at bay – managed to save one end and the ground floor from damage.

Thankfully, nobody was injured either, and Mr Pern also owns two other restaurants, The Star Inn the Harbour at Whitby and The Star Inn the City in York, but this will be absolutely devastating for him.

It has been consistently rated as one of the UK’s top restaurants and held a Michelin star for much of his tenure. That’s why it was such a dismal sight to behold on the business’s 25th anniversary year. It is dismal, too, for the wider industry that it has contributed so much towards.

Hospitality plays such a key role in the region’s economic strength and its tourism offering, with people from all over coming to taste our great produce.

The work that Mr Pern and those around him in the restaurant trade do for the region is inestimable. However, their efforts and ventures so often go without praise.

While the community should undoubtedly rally round one of the jewels in its crown at this time, the region should also remember to be thankful for these precious places, which spread such joy.

The Star Inn at Harome fire is a dismal sight in the Michelin-starred gastropub's 25th year - The Yorkshire Post says