Star Inn The City

The Star Inn the City, an informal, relaxed answer to Andrew Pern’s Star Inn York fine dining restaurant, is truly deserving of its name and reputation. York’s newest and most vibrant restaurant has been open for nearly a year now, and has earned its name sake as a culinary star in the city. Although coming with Michelin Starred chef Andrew Pern’s name and reputation, the restaurant is led by his Head Chef, Mathew Hunter. Both Pern and Hunter put their heads together when it came to installing the kitchen at The Star Inn the City, consulting Waltons Catering Equipment – an authorised Electrolux Professional partner.

Pern and Hunter wanted a full suite of equipment that could match their ambitious targets for covers and all day service; economy and efficiency was a must, whilst the capabilities to support the ethos of the menu was also essential. It was an easy recommendation for Waltons to make during the consultation phase though, knowing that Pern and Hunter would prefer the one supplier, one point of contact for all equipment, and a completely suited range. It wasn’t long until Electrolux Professional was supplying the equipment to match the comprehensive design from Waltons to install a full kitchen system.

Matthew Hunter, Head Chef at The Star Inn the City, commented: “We needed a product that could handle the constant use and took on a full suite of Electrolux Professional equipment including ovens, combination ovens, XP FryersHP, undercounter refrigeration, and a four ring XP stove for bulk items. It’s the air-o-steam Touchline combination oven that’s by far the stand out product and workhorse of our kitchen though. “We use the combi oven 24 hours a day, carrying out a lot of overnight cooking and slow, low temperature cooking and braising with our own uploaded programmes. It’s perfect for the red meats like roast beef on a Sunday lunch service and also for the signature dish on the menu – 48 hour braised ox cheek and beetroot risotto with blue wensleydale – which is proving to be a firm favourite. Having had the air-o-steam Touchline combi oven we wouldn’t ever look to another combi oven provider now – it’s the best available on the market in my opinion.”

Hunter also makes the most of the time saving features offered through the XP Automatic Pasta Cooker HP, which thanks to the Rapid System, the refilling of the well is done with hot water so boiling is constant. This provides the best cooking results, increasing productivity in the kitchen and saving energy – all key performance indicators for the chef. He continued: “We use the XP Pasta Cooker HP for a lot of our vegetables and garnish, in the larder section of the kitchen. It keeps the ambient temperature down and with the Rapid System we don’t have to worry about filling it up. The fact that we don’t have to change water as often due to the self-skimming system is a real plus too.”