The culinary occasion will take place over 18 nights from 18th January to 4th 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 18 includes the following chefs:
- 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 Oldster, 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
Obsession first took place in 2001 and was created by Haworth as a celebration of great food, wine and a meeting of friends, old and new. From that first event, it’s size has grown but the ethos is still very much the same with Haworth always looking to offer guests a completely memorable culinary experience, created by some of the world’s most innovative chefs.
Nigel Haworth said, “This year we’re celebrating 18 years of Obsession and it just keeps getting more exciting each year. We’re bringing different styles of cooking, different cultures and different flavours to Northcote for both our guests and our kitchen team to experience. Sharing ideas has got to be one of the most important and inspirational things we can do in cookery and we’re in a privileged position that the Obsession 18 chefs are open to sharing their ideas with us. 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.”
Guests also enjoy a Louis Roederer Brut Premier champagne reception, and then 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 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 is a luxury, 26 bedroomed boutique hotel located in the Ribble Valley, Lancashire and its award winning restaurant has held a Michelin star for 21 consecutive years since 1995. Founded by Nigel Haworth and Craig Bancroft in 1984, Northcote is an oasis of gastronomic excellence that alongside its restaurant, also boasts a truly interactive cookery school and chef’s table, a kitchen garden and a carefully curated 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.
Headline sponsor for Obsession 18 is Sousvide Tools, Main Kitchen sponsor is Electrolux Professional, Chefs Table sponsor is Gaggenau, Travel sponsor is Pure Luxury, and sponsors are, Total Food Service, Ribble Farm Fare, Petrossian, Udale, Wedgwood, Churchill, Louis Roederer, Wright Wine Company, BELU, and Riedl. 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.
For more information and to book tickets, visit www.northcote.com/obsession18.