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Northcote raises over £40k for Hospitality Action at Obsession 19

From 18th January to 3rd February, Northcote hosted the 19th year of their gastronomic festival, Obsession.

Northcote’s spectacular 16-night guest chef event, Obsession 19, held at the luxury Lancashire hotel earlier this month, has raised more than £40,000 for industry charity Hospitality Action.

Obsession 19 saw a line-up of 18 chefs with 15 Michelin stars between them cook at the Michelin-starred restaurant, located within the 26-bedroom Relais & Chateaux hotel, between 18 January and 3 February.

Obsession in numbers:

  • 15 Michelin stars between the chefs
  • 9,800 plates of food served this year (and washed up after)
  • Wine sourced from 15 countries poured at this year’s festival
  • Chefs from 7 countries travelled to cook at Obsession 19
  • 99 different dishes served at Obsession 19
  • 2,619 glasses of Champagne enjoyed from 437 bottles
  • Since 2001, 196 nights of Obsession have been enjoyed, 18,500 guests have been entertained, and 166 chefs have cooked at the event

Among the chefs who took part in the event, now in its 19th year, were Ollie Dabbous of Hide and James Lowe of Lyles, both in London, Hywel Jones of Lucknam Park in Colerne, Wiltshire, and 2018 Young European Chef of the Year Niall Keating of Whatley Manor in Easton Grey, Wiltshire.

A silent auction was offered throughout the two-and-a-half-week period, and donation envelopes were available each night allowing guests to contribute towards the overall total.

Mark Lewis, Chief Executive of Hospitality Action, commented: “Once again the team at Northcote have produced a world-class food festival in the heart of the North West. Their generous gift of £40,000 to Hospitality Action is an amazing feat which will transform the lives of hospitality workers in not only in the North West, but across the UK.

“Their fundraising is testimony not only to the team at Northcote but also to the fantastically loyal and philanthropic fan base they have established over the years, not to mention their unique ability to attract some of the finest chefs in the world.”

Craig Bancroft, Managing Director of Northcote, said: “We are delighted that, together with our big-hearted guests, we have managed to raise so much money for Hospitality Action. Obsession is a fun-filled celebration of the finest food and wines our industry crafts and its always a delight inviting so many respected chefs to our humble corner of Britain. But, behind the glamour of our glorious industry, many people working in hospitality are facing very real issues every day and it’s important that we lend our support to those who have fallen on hard times.”

Executive chef, Lisa Goodwin-Allen, who hosted two nights of Obsession 19 with Girls’ Night seeing her cook alongside fellow chefs Marianne Lumb and Romy Gill, unveiled several dishes from her new tasting menu at the event. Among the dishes served to many of Lisa’s loyal Obsession followers were West Coast crab, orchard apple, black radish; Ox, aged sour cream, cucumber pickle, dill; Scarlet prawn, black and white garlic, parmesan; Yorkshire duck, smoked bacon, turnip, parsley; and coconut, lime and chocolate. The 6-course tasting menu is now available at Northcote and will cost £85pp.

Headline sponsor for Obsession 2019 was Wedgwood, the main kitchen was sponsored by Electrolux, Gaggenau sponsored the Chef’s Table, travel sponsor for the event was Gold Medal Pure Luxury and film & chef jacket sponsor was Wellocks. Additional sponsors were Bragard, Churchill, Total Food Service, Porsche, Wright Wine, Griffith Foods, Leonard Dews, Belu, Riedel, Louis Roederer, Petrossian Caviar and The Wright Wine Company.

Obsession was created by Northcote ambassador Nigel Haworth in 2001 to celebrate great food, wine and chefs.