NORTHERN Restaurant & Bar has established itself as the premier hospitality trade event outside London but it has surpassed itself this with the quality of its Chef’s Table line-up.
It’s an opportunity for ambitious chefs and restaurateurs to watch chefs at the top of their game cooking signature dishes step by step.
This year their aspirations will focus on a mix of renowned names and rising talent from across the UK, headed by Taste of Manchester editor Neil Sowerby’s favourite chef, Gareth Ward from Ynshir in mid-Wales. Gareth, pictured above, is not the kind of chef who turns up on Saturday Kitchen but his innovative cooking in a remote spot has earned one Michelin star – and many of us feel he deserves more.
Alongside him there’s Northcote’s Lisa Goodwin-Allen and Fischer’s Baslow Hall Head Chef Rupert Rowley plus an array of rising talent. And you could admire their incredible talent close-up thanks to NRB’s prize draw to win two places at the Chef’s Table at this year’s exhibition, which runs March 20-21, 2018 at Manchester Central.
To win your place, simply enter online here by Friday, March 9. Chefs will be allocated at random on the day of your choice.
The NRB18 Chef Live line-up includes:
Luke French, Jöro, Sheffield His cooking style is New Nordic and he’s also inspired by Japanese cooking techniques and ingredients. He calls it a ‘Scandi-Jap Mash-up’.
Gareth Ward, Ynshir, Powys Gareth is chef patron at Ynyshir, a Michelin star, five AA rosette restaurant with rooms which offers dining experiences featuring, in Ward’s own northern dialect, ‘Alternative British Snap (food)’ packed with flavour.
Lisa Goodwin-Allen, Northcote, near Blackburn After joining aged 23 in 2001 and rising up the ranks to help maintain the Michelin Star that Northcote has held for 20 years. Lisa is passionate about using seasonal and locally sourced ingredients.
Adam Humphrey, Arras, York Having cooked extensively in London and France, at The Castle, Taunton and in Australia, Adam and his wife Lovaine took the plunge in 2005 and Arras was born. Adam works daily in the Arras kitchen baking the bread and developing new dishes to push Arras forward.
Thomas Reeves, L'Enclume, Cumbria Young Thomas emerged victorious from a field of competitors described by judges as “the best yet” in the climax of Essential Cuisine’s 2017 North West Young Chef of the Year Competition.
Rupert Rowley, Fischer's Baslow Hall, Derbyshire Rupert joined Fischer’s Baslow Hall as Sous Chef in 2002 and was appointed Head Chef in 2003. Since then his culinary style, rooted in classical French cuisine has been crucial in Fischer’s holding a Michelin star for 22 years while never standing still.
Steven Smith, The Freemasons at Wiswell, near Clitheroe The plaudits just keep coming for the chef owner of this country gastropub – 2017 AA Restaurant of the Year for England, top NW pub in the Top 50 Gastropubs, one of the only pubs to make The Sunday Times Top 100 Restaurants and for the third year in a row, No.1 pub in the Good Food Guide.
Gary Usher, Sticky Walnut, Chester Gary’s first restaurant opened in Hoole, Chester, in 2011. Since then Usher has opened three more restaurants funded through crowdsourcing – Burnt Truffle opened in Heswall on the Wirral in 2015, Hispi opened in Didsbury in October 2016 and in October 2017 Liverpool based Wreckfish opened, breaking UK crowdfunding records.
Liam Trotman and Ryan Simpson, Orwells, Henley-on-Thames Liam currently grows 75 per cent of the restaurant's fruit and vegetables from a smallholding and he’s also a fully-fledged beekeeper. Ryan's approach at Orwells is led by ingredients, using a wealth of classic and modern techniques.
To find out when each chef will be cooking see the full timetable here.
Northern Restaurant & Bar, Tue Mar 20 and Wed, Mar 21 Manchester Central, Windmill St, Manchester M2 3GX. Free trade only tickets are available now via this link.