Northern culinary powerhouse Northcote has announced an all-star line-up of visiting chefs for the 25th anniversary edition of Obsession, its annual mid-winter ‘Glastonbury of Gastronomy’ in Lancashire’s Ribble Valley. The festival will host more than 1,700 diners over 17 consecutive nights from 24 January to 9 February next year.
The 21 participating chefs with 27 Michelin stars between them include a rare UK appearance from legendary chef Paul Cunningham (pictured), Essex-born but based for 30 years in Denmark, where he made his name at The Paul in Copenhagen’s Tivoli pleasure grounds before moving to Henne Kirkeby Kro on the North Sea coast of Jutland 12 years ago. He recommended Rene Radzepi to be chef at Noma, having turned down the job himself.
Obsession will be book-ended by an opening-night dinner from host chef Lisa Goodwin-Allen and a closing grand finale by Alain Roux of the Waterside Inn. Between these dinners, chefs based in Singapore, South Africa, France and Ireland will fly in to rattle the pans next to some of the hottest talents on the British restaurant scene.
Tickets are on sale from Wednesday 13 November at £220 per head for a Louis Roederer Champagne and canapé reception, five-course menu, coffee and petit fours – and early booking is highly recommended given the growing popularity of the festival.
The full line-up is:
- Friday 24th January: Lisa Goodwin Allen, Northcote, Ribble Valley (1 star)
- Saturday 25th January: Jonny Lake, Trivet, London (2 star)
- Sunday 26th January: Cal Byerley & Ian Walker, Pine, Newcastle upon Tyne (1 star, 1 green star)
- Monday 27th January: Rafael Cagali, Da Terra, London (2 star)
- Tuesday 28th January: Miller Prada, Humo, London (1 star)
- Wednesday 29th January: Graeme Cheevers, UNALOME by Graeme Cheevers, Glasgow (1 star)
- Thursday 30th January: Vincent Crepel, Terre, Castlemartyr Resort, Cork (2 star)
- Friday 31st January: Max Coen, Dorian, London (1 star)
- Saturday 1st February: Paul Cunningham, Henne Kirkeby Kro, Denmark (2 star, 1 green star) and Nathan Outlaw, Outlaw’s New Road, Port Isaac (1 star)
- Sunday 2nd February: Angela Hartnett: Murano, London (1 star), Neil Borthwick, The French House, London, Mitch Tonks, The Seahorse, Dartmouth
- Monday 3rd February: Hélène Darroze & Marco Zampese, Hélène Darroze at The Connaught, London (3 star)
- Tuesday 4th February: Jean Delport, Interlude, Horsham, Sussex (1 star, 1 green star)
- Wednesday 5th February: Yannick Alléno, Pavyllon, London (1 star) and Alleno Paris, Paris (3 star)
- Thursday 6th February: Ed Wilson, Brawn, London
- Friday 7th February: Ivor Jones, Chef’s Warehouse Beau Constantia, Cape Town
- Saturday 8th February: Michael Wilson, Maguerite, Singapore (1 star)
- Sunday 9th February: Alain Roux, The Waterside Inn, Bray (3 star)
Lisa Goodwin-Allen, executive chef at Northcote, has been involved in Obsession since its inception in the early days of her own career. She says: “Over the years I’ve seen so many incredible chefs work their magic on the pass and create everlasting memories for our guests. The passion and the excitement of Obsession is infectious. Beyond the incredible food, Obsession is a social gathering for industry professionals and food enthusiasts, it’s a place to network, connect and share a love for outstanding food and wine. Obsession25 is extra special for the team, it’s a major milestone and to celebrate we have invited some of the world’s best chefs to join us. The team is really excited to welcome them and create the magical energy Obsession is famous for.”
Visiting chef Ivor Jones, chef patron at Chef’s Warehouse Beau Constantia in Cape Town, said: “I fell off my chair when I was asked to be a part of this event by Lisa. I’ve watched many of these chefs from afar my whole life and never thought I’d ever cook at an event that represents these incredible chefs. I am so grateful for this opportunity as well as really excited to get tucked into some of the incredible UK produce. I’ll be cooking some of my favourite dishes from our restaurant in South Africa. Let’s goooooo.”
Alain Roux added that the festival is a fantastic showcase for British hospitality that takes the spotlight away from London and up to Lancashire – and he promised: “We aim to spoil our guests with a special menu featuring some of my favourite winter dishes from The Waterside Inn, prepared with the finest British ingredients and a few delicious French treats too!”
For more information, visit https://www.northcoteobsession.com/.
