NORTHCOTE, after retaining its Michelin star, has added prestigious Relais & Chateaux status jn its 30th year of existence in the Ribble Valley. It’s onwards and upwards for chef proprietor Nigel Haworth, business partnr Craig Bancroft and head chef Lisa Allen
Obsession – Northcote’s, well, obsessive celebration of chef heroes – will hit 15 in January and it’s the starriest line-up yet (and that’s saying something) with chefs flown in from round the globe. As it says on the tin ‘15 nights, 25 chefs, 27 Michelin Stars’.
It’s not just Nigel’s mates from the Great British Menu and assorted London luminaries. The stellar culinary cast are flying in from Austria, Germany Holland, Italy, Portugal, Brazil, South Africa, Thailand and New York.
Some of these guys are genuine globetrotters. Take Master Tsuyoshi Murakami (pictured above going in at the deep end), who runs Kinoshita in Sao Paolo. Born in the city of Hokkaido, Murakami left Japan as a child, when he moved to Rio with his family. As an adult he went home to hone his Japanese cooking skills, then moved to New York and Barcelona before creating Kinoshita.
Obsession 15 runs from Friday 23 January to Saturday 7 February. Each night a chef, or in some cases a gaggle of them, will create a five-course menu, showcasing their particular cooking styles. Here’s the line-up with links to the chefs’ astounding cvs:
Friday 23 January: Chris and Jeff Galvin (main picture)
Galvin La Chapelle, London 1 star; Galvin at Windows, London 1 star.
Saturday 24 January: Martin Klein
Hangar 7, Salzburg, Austria 1 star.
Sunday 25 January: Jacob Jan Boerma
Restaurant De Leest, De Leest, Holland 3 stars.
Monday 26 January: Enrico and Roberto Cerea
DaVittorio, Brusaporto, Italy 3 stars.
Tuesday 27 January: Phil Howard and Brett Graham
Phil Howard – The Square, London 2 stars; Brett Graham – The Ledbury, London 2 stars.
Wednesday 28 January: Vivek Singh
The Cinnamon Club, London
Friday 30 January: A Taste of Portugal
Dieter Koschina – Vila Joya, Albufeira, Portugal 2 stars; Vitor Matos – Casa da Calcada, Amarante, 1 star; Jose Avillez – Belcanto, Lisbon, 1 star; Miguel Laffan – L'And Vineyards Restaurant, Montemor-o-Novo, 1 star.
Saturday 31 January: Tsuyoshi Murakami
Kinoshita, Sao Paulo, Brazil
Sunday 1 February: Gaggan Anand
Gaggan, Bangkok, Thailand (pictured above)
Monday 2 February: Klaus Efort
GasteHaus, Saarbrücken, Germany 3 stars
Tuesday 3 February: Girls’ Night Out!
Margot Janse – Le Quartier Francais, Franschhoek, South Africa; Angela Hartnett – Murano and Limewood, London 1 star; Lisa Allen – Northcote, Langho 1 star.
Wednesday 4 February: Ken Hom
Ken Hom, Thailand
Thursday 5 February: Shaun Hergatt
Juni, New York, USA 1 star
Friday 6 February: Great British Menu Night
Shaun Rankin – Omer, Jersey 1 star ; Glynn Purnell – Purnell's, Birmingham 1 star; Kenny Atkinson – House of Tides, Tyne & Wear; Nigel Haworth – Northcote, Langho 1 star
Saturday 7 February: Nigel Haworth
Northcote, Langho 1 star
General Tickets: £115 inclusive of Louis Roederer Brut Premier & Canapé Reception 5-course signature menu
Wine pairings to complement each dish also available.
Bookings can only be made via the Obsession telephone line: 01254 244503.
Northcote, Northcote Rd, Langho, Blackburn, Lancashire BB6 8BE
01254 240555, www.northcote.com.