Harley Young dines at Chef Patron-Director Lisa Goodwin-Allen’s table and learns of the venue’s new developments
AT the start of this week (Monday 30 June), I was fortunate enough to be invited to the renowned Michelin star restaurant and luxury hotel Northcote for an intimate chef’s table lunch, courtesy of Great British Menu star and MasterChef: The Professionals judge Lisa Goodwin-Allen.
Complete with a complementing wine flight guided by an in-house sommelier (I enjoyed an exceptional selection of the world’s finest alcohol-free options while my partner opted for the traditional boozy variety - equally (if not moreso) as exclusive and exciting), we were indulged with a taste of the new Summer Gourmet Menu, carefully curated by Lisa who is now back at the helm of the Ribble Valley restaurant as Chef Patron-Director.
As well as showcasing Lisa’s true culinary skill and creativity, the new menu also signifies a confident new chapter for Northcote, now under the new ownership of Alf and Clare Ellis, husband and wife business duo behind the hugely successful kitchen manufacturer Ultima, based in Pontefract.
The new Summer Gourmet Menu (five courses for £145 per person) includes stellar executions of traditional dishes with added flare, including standouts like native lobster with foie, sea buckthorn and thermidor sauce, and wild turbot with smoked bacon, ricotta, marinated courgette and lemon. Working cohesively with the seasons, Lisa devised the menu to showcase the best produce the local environment has to offer at this time of year.
“My favourite thing about any time of year and with any new menu is working with seasons. I’m a huge believer that seasonality is how you’re going to get the best flavour and the best ingredients,” explained Lisa, adding “At the moment, that’s tomatoes. The Isle of White tomato is one of my favourites, the flavour is just fantastic. We prepare them in several different ways to pull and suck as much flavour out of them as possible. We macerate them, dehydrate them, extract the liquid and turn it into a jelly. We then serve it with a goat’s cheese sauce and a little tomato bread on the side, with a basil butter, that you can wipe through your dish to finish off with. It’s very in season. Very tasty and lovely to eat.”
“This menu reflects everything the Northcote kitchen stands for - a deep respect for produce, a commitment to innovation and a passion for pushing culinary boundaries. It’s elegant, playful and full of flavour and more than that, it’s significant, because it marks the start of a new era. I’m excited for our guests to experience what we’ve created,” she concluded.
Alongside our afternoon of indulgent dishes and drinks, Managing Director Craig Bancroft gave us an exclusive sneak peek at the other transformations which will soon be taking place within Northcote’s grounds, such as a full refurbishment of the hotel’s bedrooms, a transformation of the restaurant, including an extension to the private dining area and, eventually, a brand-new on-site spa facility.
Northcote also plans to relaunch its outside catering business, which will focus on premium, small-scale events such as dinner parties and boutique corporate functions that retain the brand’s signature quality.
After more than four decades with Northcote, Bancroft expressed his enthusiasm about the changes, saying: “The journey over the 42 years that I’ve been here—which is more than most of my staff have been alive—has been extraordinary,” adding “We needed new investment to take Northcote back to what we believe it should be…to have [bedroom refurbishments] happen in our first six months of ownership is pretty extraordinary.”
Craig also confirmed that Obsession, the venue’s annual signature culinary event, will return in early 2026 with the full support of the new owners.
For full details of the Summer Gourmet Menu, wine flights and hotel bookings, visit www.northcote.com.
Northcote Hotel & Restaurant, Northcote Road, Langho, Blackburn BB6 8BE
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