This month sees Michelin-starred restaurant and country-house hotel Northcote celebrate the 15th year of Obsession, the annual gastronomic festival that has grown year on year to become renowned not only in the UK but globally. Showcasing the very best of the region – from the best of Lancashire’s larder through to renowned Northern hospitality – it has become the date for the diary nationally and is unique in terms of sheer scale.
Lancashire-based sponsors
In keeping with its 30-year commitment to locality, chef patron Nigel Haworth and director of wines Craig Bancroft have teamed up with a raft of Lancashire-based sponsors on this year’s anniversary edition.
These include Gold Medal Travel Group’s Pure Luxury brand – official travel sponsor – alongside trusted food suppliers Ribble Farm Fare for homegrown fruit and vegetables, Greaves Butchers for aged meats from the North West, and Smith Sager Ltd. for sustainable fish from New Smithfield Market.
As official travel sponsor, award-winning Gold Medal Travel Group’s Pure Luxury has been drafted in to fly in a host of international talent – including three Michelin-starred chefs Klaus Efort, Jacob Jan Boerma and Enrico and Robert Cerea from Germany, Holland and Italy respectively. Also jetting in are Ken Hom and Shaun Hergatt from NYC, Dieter Koshina from Portugal and Gaggan Anand from Bangkok, amongst others.
Obsession: local but global
Obsession starts on Friday, 23rd January and runs until Saturday, 7th February. No less than 25 chefs with 27 Michelin stars between them will be descending on Northcote for a 15-day series of show stopping dinners in the restaurant and in the luxurious Louis Roederer Private Dining Rooms. An impressive mix of international and great British chefs, this year’s line-up is bigger and better than ever before thanks to the support of the local suppliers and businesses.
Nigel Haworth says: “This is a fantastic new collaboration and we are delighted to be working with Gold Medal Travel Group’s Pure Luxury along with continued commitment from over 50 local businesses who all contribute to the success of Obsession – it really is something very special. We may be going global this year but even chefs from far-flung places are cooking with Lancashire produce. We’re always about keeping things local.”
Other local sponsors include Marketing Lancashire, Maserati at Bowker Motor Group, Sunderland Peacock, Universal Cooling and Blackburn Audi – all of whom have been long-term supporters of the hotel and its unique annual food festival – while this year’s chosen charities are Prince’s Trust, which supports young people to develop skills at work, and Hospitality Action, which supports those who have worked in hospitality in the UK and who find themselves in crisis. Obsession 15 will be raising money for both through a silent auction offering a range of incredible, one-of-a-kind prizes.
Full list of visiting chefs and for more information click here
Northcote, Northcote Road, Langho, Blackburn, Lancashire, BB6 8BE
01254 240 555