Which Michelin Star chefs will journey to Lancashire for 2024’s Obsession culinary festival?

The line-up for Lancashire’s award-winning gourmet festival, Obsession, has just been announced and once again it promises to be the hottest ticket in the culinary calendar, with a host of Michelin starred chefs and some of the biggest names in European gastronomy travelling to Langho in the Ribble Valley next January.

Obsession will take place at Northcote in the Ribble Valley, from 19th January to Sunday 4th February 2024.

Organised by executive chef Lisa Goodwin-Allen and the Northcote team, the internationally renowned, multi-award-winning event has built a reputation as one of the most significant gourmet festivals in Europe, with waiting lists of thousands.

Nineteen world class chefs with 19 Michelin stars between them will make the trip to luxury Pride of Britain hotel and Michelin star restaurant Northcote in early 2024.

Each chef will cook their unique Obsession menus for food and wine enthusiasts in the region who are keen to have an exclusive, memorable dining experience created by some of the world’s most innovative chefs, with dishes that may be unavailable anywhere else.

For the first time, guests at Lisa’s night will enjoy a preview of her early 2024 Gourmet Menu, meaning those who miss out on tables to the opening night of the event can visit the restaurant and sample her 2024 Obsession Menu for a limited time throughout February.

The 2023 line-up

• Friday 19th January: Lisa Goodwin Allen, Northcote, Ribble Valley (1 star)
• Saturday 20th January: Alex Greene, Deanes EIPIC, Belfast (1 star)

• Sunday 21st January, Gareth Ward, Ynyshir, Wales (2 star)

• Monday 22nd January, Tom Barnes, L’Enclume (3 star)

• Tuesday 23rd January, Sarah Hayward, The Coach, Buckinghamshire (1 star)

• Wednesday 24th January, Adam Smith, Woven by Adam Smith, Coworth Park, Berkshire (1 star)

• Thursday 25th January, Alex Tsiotinis, CTC, Athens (1 star)

• Friday 26th January, Adam Handling, Frog by Adam Handling, London (1 star)

• Saturday 27th January, Lorna McNee, Cail Bruich, Glasgow, (1 star)

• Sunday 28th January, James Knappett, Kitchen Table, London (2 star)

• Monday 29th January, Tom Shepherd, Upstairs by Tom Shepherd, Staffordshire (1 star)

• Tuesday 30th January, Aktar Islam, Opheem, Birmingham (1 star)

• Wednesday 31st January, Daniele Lippi, Acqolina, Rome (2 star)

• Thursday 1st February, Adam Byatt & Harry Kirkpatrick, Trinity, (1 star)

• Friday 2nd February, Riccardo Canella, ORO, Hotel Cipriani, Venice (1 star)

• Saturday 3rd February, Henrique Sá Pessoa, ALMA, Lisbon (2 star)

The grand finale

• Sunday 4th February, Michel Roux, La Gavroche/Ches Roux Ltd, London (2 star) & Emily Roux, Caractere, London

For 22 years Obsession has been a key calendar moment in the UK’s gastronomy scene. It launched in 2001 as a celebration of good food and wine and over the years has featured hundreds of Michelin star chefs from all over the globe, with household names aplenty bringing the most sought-after dining experiences to England’s North West.

Lisa Goodwin-Allen, executive chef of Northcote and director of The Game Bird and American Bar at The Stafford, London said; “Each year we approach Obsession with a view of ‘how can we equal last year’s event’ and it always seems like an impossible task. But I have to say I’m extremely excited for this year’s line-up. We have a range of styles of cooking- diverse, traditional, progressive, highly technical - and it’s packed with personality.

“The fact that each year is a sell out just shows there is still an appetite for fine dining and an exclusive experience. And let’s not forget the money raised for charity, last year broke the record yet again, with over £70,000 raised for Hospitality Action, which will be our beneficiary again this year.”

Talking of why he wanted to be part of the festival, Adam Smith of Woven by Adam Smith added: “After following Northcote, Lisa and Obsession for a large part of my career it’s a real privilege to be involved in Obsession in 2024. Many of my culinary idols have taken part in the past and I feel extremely proud to be able to follow in their footsteps.”

Chef Alex Greene added: “Obsession has always been an event I wanted to be a part of and to be invited by Lisa and the team at Northcote to the 2024 event is a complete honour. It’s honestly a bit of a dream come true. I’m super excited for January and I’m really looking forward to working alongside Lisa and her team."

Guests at Obsession will each night 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, every night providing a further elevated the dining experience. The hotel’s atmospheric bar is also a focal point of every evening with specially created Obsession cocktails that take inspirations from chefs’ menus.

Obsession 24 sponsors:

• Headline sponsor: Deepbridge

• Luxury car sponsor: Stratstone / Aston Martin Manchester / Porsche Bolton

• Cookery School sponsor – Gaggenau

• Chef table sponsor: Erdington

• Film sponsor: Wellocks

• Wine sponsor: Wright Wine company
• Kitchen sponsor: Electrolux professional

• Chef jacket sponsor: La Font

• Programme sponsor: Sarah Layton Jewellers

• Champagne sponsor: Louis Roederer
• Glass sponsor: Riedel Glassware

• Water sponsor: BELU

The official charity for Obsession 24 is Hospitality Action.

Tickets for Obsession 24 go on sale on Friday 6th October 2023 and are priced at £210 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 £70 per person.

For more information visit www.northcoteobsession.com/.

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