International Extravaganza
Chefs from all over the globe, from Mayfair to Mumbai, took part in Obsession 2020, an extravaganza of international gastronomy. Photography: Allen Markey
Over the last two decades, the annual Obsession festival at Northcote has grown from four-nights in 2001 to the 17-night globally recognised culinary experience it has become today.
This year, Obsession’s 20th anniversary, the line-up was even more impressive than ever, packed with one-off collaborations, celebrity chefs, Michelin stars and exciting new names.
A total of 21 Michelin stars and 24 chefs lit up the festival, with many familiar names returning.
As always, Obsession provided not only a snapshot of remarkable global cuisine, but it also provided the perfect opportunity to explore the Northcote wine cellar. This year was no exception with Northcote’s Craig Bancroft matching fines wines to the stunning menus.
Each night began with Louis Roederer Brut Premier NV champagne and canapés leading into a celebration of culinary excellence.
Fittingly, day one of Obsession 2020 launched with Northcote’s Executive Head Chef Lisa Goodwin-Allen presenting her menu, which included squab pigeon, followed by Cornish mussels cooked with Petrossian caviar, wild turbot, Cumbrian mutton sausage cooked with Seville orange and a dessert of hazelnut with bitter chocolate and Kaffir lime, each course matched perfectly with wines from all over the world.
Among the chefs to follow on subsequent nights was Austrian born Dieter Koschina from Vila Joya and Hans Neuner from Vila Vita Parc in Portugal.
Well-known TV chef Angela Hartnett of Murano in Mayfair and a regular on Saturday Kitchen, cooked on day seven of the festival. Another familiar face on TV, Monica Galetti of Mere in London, also featured in the Obsession line-up. Her love of Italian food opened her menu with a starter of tortelli pasta, duxelle, parsley, wild mushrooms and Marmite.
Day 13 of the extravaganza presented a night with the boys with celebrity chefs Rick Stein, Brian Turner and Nigel Haworth Northcote’s Chef Ambassador, each cooking individual courses. Rick Stein presented a starter of deep fried coconut prawns with papaya and habanero followed by poached red mullet with mayonnaise, tomato and tarragon.
Brian Turner cooked up a dish of English veal with mustard and sage topping, Yorkshire pudding with foie gras and onion filling and Madeira sauce, which was followed by a Yorkshire blue and Mrs Kirkham’s rarebit on toasted crumpet served with a light salad and hazelnut and sherry vinaigrette.
Nigel Haworth’s courses included treacle cured salmon with roast scallop, treacle dressing and a classic dessert – melting ginger pudding with double milk ice cream and caramel custard.
Ken Hom, TV presenter and author, was another highlight at this year’s Obsession. He has consulted for hotels, restaurants and airlines and has cooked personally for presidents, prime ministers, celebrities and royalty.
His menu included crispy shrimp paste chicken with cucumber and pickled radish, salt and pepper prawns, Peking duck served two ways, sweet pineapple fried rice and a warm banana compote dessert in plum wine with candied ginger served with a Japanese plum sake wine match.
A champion of British cooking, Yorkshire-born James Martin, was the penultimate star chef in the Obsession 2020 line-up. With a restaurant portfolio spanning the UK he fronted the BBC’s Saturday Kitchen entertaining a devoted audience of millions and since 1917, has been the face of Saturday Morning with James Martin. As a young chef, he worked in the legendary three Michelin starred kitchens of Maison Troisgros in Roanne, France, before working for Marco Pierre White at Harveys.
At Obsession this year he presented a menu of crab with tomato and lovage, followed by scallop with mussels, chicken and mushroom risotto with braised Roscoff onions. After that came partridge and duck liver pithivier, wild berries and truffle sauce with an indulgent tarte tatin dessert with ice cream.
Obsession came to an end with Nigel Haworth presenting his own menu on the final night. Among his dishes was a tiny Lancashire hot pot that became an iconic dish when he was declared a winner on TV’s Great British Menu.
