Northcote 'Obsession': These 20 chefs with 16 Michelin stars between them are Lancashire-bound (full list)

Lancashire restaurant Northcote has announced the lineup for its fine dining festival ‘Obsession’ and it’s impressive. The event, which scooped the ‘Outstanding Contribution Award’ at the AA Hospitality Awards, Northcote Obsession will take place at Northcote in the Ribble Valley, from January 20 to February 5, 2023. Twenty world class chefs with 16 Michelin stars between them will make the trip to the luxury Lancashire country house hotel and Michelin star restaurant Northcote, headed up by executive chef Lisa Goodwin-Allen. Taking place over 17 nights, the festival will see a number of exciting and emerging chefs, as well as some of the world’s most established, from all corners of the UK, France and Portugal, cook their unique Obsession menus for those quick enough to get their hands on the hottest tickets in town.

The 2023 line-up includes:

Friday 20th January: Lisa Goodwin Allen, Northcote, Ribble Valley (1 star) & Niall Keating, Luna, Barlaston

Saturday 21st January: Ricardo Costa, The Yeatman Gastronomic Restaurant, Portugal (2 stars)

Sunday 22nd January: Alex Dilling, Alex Dilling at Hotel Café Royal, London

Monday 23rd January: Nathan Davies, SY23, Aberystwyth, Wales (1 star)

Tuesday 24th January: Chetan Sharma, Bibi, London

Wednesday 25th January: Brad Carter, Carters of Mosley, Birmingham (1 star)

Thursday 26th January: Tommy Banks, The Black Swan, Oldstead, York (1 star)

Friday 27th January: Anna Haugh, Myrtle, London & Sally Abe, The Pem, London

Saturday 28th January: Tom Sellars, Restaurant Story, London (2 stars)

Sunday 29th January: Santiago Lastra, Kol, London (1 star)

Monday 30th January: Rafael Cagelli, Da Terra, London (2 stars)

Tuesday 31st January: Luke French, JÖRO, Sheffield

Wednesday 1st February: Loic Villemin, Toya Restaurant, France (1 star)

Thursday 2nd February: John Williams & Spencer Metzger, The Ritz, London (1 star)

Friday 3rd February: Alex Nietosvuori, Hjem, Hexham (1 star)

Saturday 4th February: Mark Donald, The Glenturret Lalique Restaurant, Scotland (1 star)

The grand finale

Sunday 5th February, featuring:

Lisa Goodwin Allen, Northcote, Ribble Valley (1 star)

Monica Galetti, Mere, London

Nieves Barragan Mohacho, Sabor, London (1 star)

The Obsession festival launched in 2001 as a celebration of great food, wine and a meeting of friends, old and new. From that first event, it has evolved but the ethos is still very much the same; to offer guests a completely memorable culinary experience, created by some of the world’s most innovative chefs.

Lisa Goodwin-Allen, executive chef at Northcote said: “Well what can I say? The vibe, teamwork and overall energy from everyone involved last year was outstanding. It was a real celebration, especially coming straight off the back of a really tough time for the hospitality industry.

“The line-up of chefs for 2023 is really exciting, the style of cooking they are bringing to Obsession is diverse, progressive and highly technical. We’ve got some great emerging and well talked about chefs like Luke French andChetan Sharma joining us, and household names like John Williams from The Ritz and Tom Sellers from Restaurant Story. I’m really looking forward to be opening, as well as wrapping up the festival too. Guests will be delighted to see the return of the three non blondes on the final night too!”

Luke French, chef and co-owner of Jöro said: “I’m absolutely buzzing to be invited to cook at Northcote Obsession23. It’s an event every year I’ve always been in awe of and I never thought I’d be cooking at it. The talent of the chefs that go through the kitchens during the event is unbelievable. I’m gassed to be cooking alongside a line up of absolute legends in our industry and showcase what we do at JÖRO.”

Brad Carter, chef/proprietor of Carters of Moseley added: “Obsession is an event I have always admired from afar and hoped to cook one day, when Lisa asked me to take part I was buzzing to be a part of the line up at the legendary Northcote. I’m hoping to bring a bit of Brum magic to Lancashire! I will be cooking some Carters of Moseley signature serves and focusing on my ethos of using products that only come from the UK, Scotland or Ireland, showing the world the class ingredients we have on our island.”

Guests can also enjoy a Louis Roederer Collection 242 Champagne reception, and have the option of adding a wine flight to the dinner. Managing director Craig Bancroft and his wine team meticulously choose wines to pair with the unique flavours and ingredients of each course each night, to really elevate the dining experience. Northcote recently retained its Spectator Two Glass Wine Award for its absolute commitment to wine, and breadth of the cellar across multiple winegrowing regions including Burgundy, Spain and Portugal. The hotel’s atmospheric bar is also a focal point of every evening, especially post dinner with specially created Obsession cocktails that take inspirations from chefs’ menus. Obsession23 will see the launch of the newly curated Obsession Gin which is set to be a much sought after post dinner tipple. The official charity for Obsession23 is Hospitality Action. To date, Obsession has raised almost half a million pounds for the charity.

HOW TO REGISTER

People can register for tables for Obsession23 on November, and are priced at £185 per person, including a Louis Roederer Champagne and canapé reception, five course menu, coffee and petit fours. A specially paired wine flight can be added, starting from around £65 per person. Sign up to the Northcote newsletter to receive all the details first. For more information visit https://www.northcoteobsession.com/.