231027 Collection Digital Cover 1 - Flipbook - Page 46
“Across cultures and millennia, food has
drawn people together… Most of all, it has
transcended boundaries and ref lected
our basic humanity.”
Eating out has always been a pleasurable activity; something to be
engaged in with friends, family, or lovers, something to add a convivial
edge to business dealings. Perhaps we used to take such enjoyment
for granted, but since the events of 2020, it’s unlikely that we’re quite
so cavalier. Of the pandemic’s several dark blessings, one has been
that the act of convening for a meal in a restaurant has taken on even
greater significance than before.
Yet this significance was never something to be taken lightly. Across
cultures and millennia, food has drawn people together. It has evoked
discussions, sometimes playful and sometimes heated, about the ‘best’
or ‘right’ way to make certain dishes. Most of all, it has transcended
boundaries and reflected our basic humanity.
It’s this elemental aspect of food that’s reflected in Obsession, the fine
dining festival that takes place annually at Lancashire’s Northcote.
Chefs may have the reputation for being as fiercely territorial of their
kitchens as teenagers are of their bedrooms, but Obsession might
see a three Michelin-starred chef taking over the Northcote kitchen
one night, and a renowned but yet-unstarred chef the next.
This, of course, is also testament to the standard of the kitchen
itself, which has retained its Michelin star for 27 years running,
with Executive Chef Lisa Goodwin-Allen at the helm for 22 of those.
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Established in 2001, chefs have travelled from all over the world to
participate in this most prestigious of events – and guests, too, make
the pilgrimage to Lancashire to avail themselves of the opportunity
to eat expertly crafted meals in a world class, yet semi-rural, setting.
The first Obsession was a relatively modest affair, held over three
nights and one lunch. It saw Newcastle’s Terry Laybourne, now head
of the 21 Hospitality Group, opening proceedings with five courses:
Potato Terrine with Caviar, followed by Celeriac Soup with Black
Truffle, Tempura of Lobster and Fennel, Reg’s Duck (cooked five
ways) and for dessert, Coconut Pannacotta.
Laybourne may not have known it at the time, but this menu was
to launch over 20 years of Obsession – and over 200,000 plates
of food served to guests. Since 2001, the event has spanned as many
as 19 nights, before settling at a more reasonable – but no less
magnificent – 17. Other than a pandemic-induced hiatus in 2021,
the event has returned every year, showcasing the best of global
culinary talent and perfectly paired wines. While the chef line-up
for 2024 is yet to be confirmed, we speak, on the following pages,
to some of the names who have made Obsession as extraordinary
as it is today.
