English chef’s Tommy Banks, Gary Usher and Nigel Haworth’s son Kirk Haworth join world renowned chefs at Obsession 18
18 nights – 21 chefs – 16 Michelin stars
SOME of the world’s most outstanding chefs – with 16 Michelin stars between them – will travel from across the world to be part of the annual Obsession 18 gastronomic event held at Lancashire-based hotel, Northcote.
The chefs will cook their unique Obsession Menus during the 18 night event from 18 January to 4 February 2018, and sees chefs travelling from diverse countries including India, Russia, Japan, and Mexico, as well as the UK, to cook their unique Obsession Menus.
Obsession, now in its 18th year was launched by Northcote’s (former) chef patron Nigel Haworth as a ‘celebration of great food, wine and a meeting of friends, old and new.’
Haworth looks for chefs who are obsessed with working with the very best ingredients and challenging themselves to be as creative as they can be in the kitchen.
Haworth this month announced a change of role from chef-patron and joint managing director to ambassador.
He has worked alongside partner and joint managing director Craig Bancroft for 33 years. He said he will retain his shareholding in the Lancashire property and its sister business Ribble Valley Inns, but will resign as a director.
“This year we’re celebrating 18 years of Obsession and it just keeps getting more exciting each year,” he said.
“We’re bringing different styles of cooking, different cultures and different flavours to Northcote for both our guests and our kitchen team to experience.
“For the next event, I’m especially looking forward to the South American influences, as well as the usual array of UK talent. We have some great young English chefs cooking such as Tommy Banks, Gary Usher, Nelly Robinson and my son, Kirk Haworth who will bring a really youthful, new wave feel to proceedings.
“I’m excited to meet the chefs of Obsession 18, their teams, and the flavours they bring.”
The chef line-up is…
Thursday 18th January – Jason Atherton (3 x 1 star restaurants) – The Social Company, London, UK
Friday 19th January – Gary Usher – Sticky Walnut, Chester, UK
Saturday 20th January – Manish Mehrotra (Asia Top 50 – 30 and World Top 50– 78) – Indian Accent, New Delhi, India
Sunday 21st January – Jean-Philippe Blondet (3 stars) – Alain Ducasse at The Dorchester, London, UK
Monday 22nd January – Juan Amador (2 stars) – Amador’s, Vienna, Austria
Tuesday 23rd January – Lisa Goodwin-Allen – (1 star) – Northcote, Lancashire, UK
Wednesday 24th January – Daniel Calvert – Belon, Hong Kong
Thursday 25th January – Hiroshi Nakamichi (3 stars) – Restaurant Molière, Sapporo, Japan
Friday 26th January – George Blogg (1 star) – Gravetye Manor, Sussex, UK
Saturday 27th January – Larry Jayasekara (1 star) – Petrus, London, UK
Sunday 28th January – Tom Kitchin (1 star) –The Kitchin, Edinburgh, Scotland
Monday 29th January – Diego Hernandez Baquedano (Latin America Top 50 – 39) Corazón de Tierra, Valle de Guadalupe, Mexico; Francisco Ruano, Alcalde, Guadalajara, Mexico; Jorge Vallejo (World Top 50 – 22) Quintonil, Mexico City, Mexico
Tuesday 30th January – Martin Milesi, Una, London, UK
Wednesday 31st January – Jorge Vallejo (World Top 50 – 22) – Quintonil, Mexico City, Mexico
Thursday 1st February – Tommy Banks (1 star) – The Black Swan at Oldstead, Yorkshire, UK
Friday 2nd February – Berezutskiy Twins (formerly World Top 100 – 92 – Twins) – Twins Garden, Moscow, Russia
Saturday 3rd February – Nelly Robinson – Nel Restaurant, Sydney, Australia; Kirk Haworth – Plates London, London, UK
Sunday 4th February – Nigel Haworth (1 star) – Northcote, Lancashire, UK
Managing director Craig Bancroft and his wine team meticulously choose wines to pair with the array of flavours and ingredients of each course each night, to really elevate the dining experience. (See our feature on Bancroft here).
Northcote was recently awarded a Best of Award of Excellence in the 2017 Wine Spectator’s Restaurant Awards for their absolute commitment to wine and breadth of the cellar across multiple winegrowing regions including Burgundy, Spain and Portugal.
The hotel’s lively cocktail bar is also a focal point of every evening with specially created Obsession cocktails that take inspirations from chefs’ menus.
Northcote, a luxury 26 bedroomed boutique hotel located in the Ribble Valley, Lancashire, retained its Michelin star for the 21st year running.
The Northcote group includes an interactive cookery school and chef’s table, a kitchen garden and wine cellar filled with award-winning and unique wines. In April 2017, Northcote was awarded Hotel of the Year at the VisitEngland Awards for Excellence and in September 2016, the Hotel of the Year: England in the AA Hospitality Awards.
The official charity for Obsession 17 is Hospitality Action.
Tickets for Obsession 18 cost from £140 per person including Louis Roederer Champagne and canapé reception, five course menu, and coffee and petit fours. Specially paired wine flight can be added starting from £60 per person.
VIP hospitality packages are available to book for six or more people in the Louis Roederer Room or at the Chef’s Table, from £2,400 + VAT.
Book tickets from 17 October 2017 here
