Gastronomic stars from Greece, Italy and Portugal will line up alongside a roster of Britain’s top chefs for the 2024 edition of Obsession, the annual festival of chefs hosted by Northcote fine-dining hotel near Blackburn in Lancashire.
Michel Roux Jr will cook with his daughter Emily at the grand finale on Sunday 4 February in one of his first engagements following the closure of his family’s Le Gavroche at the end of this year.
Launched in 2001, Obsession has grown into a 17-night extravaganza that opens on Friday 19 January. Tickets are priced at £210 a head each night including a Louis Roederer Champagne reception (with an optional wine flight at £70), and go on sale next Friday, 6 October. It’s a sell-out event, so you need to book early to secure a seat.
This year’s festival opens on Friday 19th January with the customary dinner from host chef Lisa Goodwin Allen (Northcote, 1 star), followed by:
- Saturday 20th January: Alex Greene, Deanes EIPIC, Belfast (1 star)
- Sunday 21st January, Gareth Ward, Ynyshir, Wales (2 star)
- Monday 22nd January, Tom Barnes, L’Enclume, Caramel (3 star)
- Tuesday 23rd January, Sarah Hayward, The Coach, Buckinghamshire (1 star)
- Wednesday 24th January, Adam Smith, Woven by Adam Smith, Coworth Park, Berkshire (1 star)
- Thursday 25th January, Alex Tsiotinis, CTC, Athens (1 star)
- Friday 26th January, Adam Handling, Frog by Adam Handling, London (1 star)
- Saturday 27th January, Lorna McNee, Cail Bruich, Glasgow (1 star)
- Sunday 28th January, James Knappett, Kitchen Table, London (2 star)
- Monday 29th January, Tom Shepherd, Upstairs by Tom Shepherd, Staffordshire (1 star)
- Tuesday 30th January, Aktar Islam, Opheem, Birmingham (1 star)
- Wednesday 31st January, Daniele Lippi, Acquolina, Rome (2 star)
- Thursday 1st February, Adam Byatt & Harry Kirkpatrick, Trinity, London (1 star)
- Friday 2nd February, Riccardo Canella, ORO, Hotel Cipriani, Venice (1 star)
- Saturday 3rd February, Henrique Sá Pessoa, ALMA, Lisbon (2 star)
- Sunday 4th February, Michel Roux, Le Gavroche/Chez Roux Ltd, London (2 star) & Emily Roux, Caractere, London
Host chef Lisa Goodwin-Allen, executive chef of Northcote and director of The Game Bird and American Bar at The Stafford in London said: “Each year we approach Obsession with a view of ‘how can we equal last year’s event’ and it always seems like an impossible task. But I have to say I’m extremely excited for this year’s line-up. We have a range of styles of cooking – diverse, traditional, progressive, highly technical – and it’s packed with personality.
“The fact that each year is a sell out just shows there is still an appetite for fine dining and an exclusive experience. And let’s not forget the money raised for charity, last year broke the record yet again, with over £70,000 raised for Hospitality Action, which will be our beneficiary again this year.”
Chef Adam Smith of Cowarth Park said: “It’s a real privilege to be involved in Obsession in 2024. Many of my culinary idols have taken part in the past and I feel extremely proud to be able to follow in their footsteps.”
Alex Greene of Eipic in Belfast added: “It’s honestly a bit of a dream come true.”
