manchesterfoodtourist Michelin star restaurant Northcote, which will be returning to a 7-day operation from Monday 3rd April, has appointed Liam Rogers as head chef following the departure of Danny Young.
Liam, who has previously held the role of chef de partie at the two Michelin star Restaurant Andrew Fairlie at The Gleneagles Hotel in Scotland, will be working under ‘Chef of the Year’, Lisa Goodwin-Allen.
Located in the heart of the Ribble Valley in Lancashire, a destination which is quickly establishing itself as the food capital of the north, Northcote is a boutique 26-bedroom hotel which is part of The Stafford Collection.
Liam will be working closely with Lisa to head up the current kitchen at Northcote, which has retained its Michelin star for 26 consecutive years, and where every meal served to guests is designed to be a celebration. The restaurant is elegant and sophisticated; overlooking the gardens and connects the dishes to the landscapes of which many ingredients originate from.
Warrington-born chef Liam has worked in restaurants his entire life; his father had a restaurant in his local village and he spent six years working there as a teenager. Now, with more than 10 years of restaurant experience, Liam is passionate about fine dining and really getting under the skin of a region and the ingredients it produces. Previously to his role at The Gleneagles Hotel, where he also started his fine dining career in 2015, he held the position of junior sous chef at two-Michelin starred Restaurant Sat Bains in Nottingham, and was also a MasterChef Professionals 2021 finalist, impressing judges with his flavour combinations, before returning to Gleneagles.
Liam’s cooking style is minimalist, flavour driven and ingredient led, and he draws inspiration from places he has been. He has been passionate about food and its preparation since a very young age, loving to work with great produce and treating it with respect.
Liam, who describes one of his proudest career moments as getting the job at Northcote, said: Lisa is ultimately what attracted me to the role at Northcote. She is renowned for her fantastic training culture and is incredibly passionate about developing people and helping to create a path for their successful careers, this is something that’s really important to me.
“Lisa is an amazing person and she’s a great chef and I loved watching her on Great British Menu. She judged me on MasterChef too and she gave me good feedback which really stood out. She gave me points on things to work on which helped me get to next level. The kitchen at Northcote is really impressive, I’m excited to be able to put everything I’ve learnt in my career so far into a head chef role and working with the great chefs within the team.
“I’m also looking forward to exploring the region, I grew up 20 minutes down the road but I haven’t spent much time in the Ribble Valley. The area produces some fantastic ingredients so I’ve got lots of trips planned to meet local suppliers, farmers and growers when I start at the end of January. I’m passionate about sourcing sustainably and am keen to demonstrate that. I just can’t wait to get started.”
Lisa Goodwin-Allen, executive chef of Michelin star restaurant Northcote and director of The Game Bird and American Bar at The Stafford said; “Liam is a highly motivated individual with the drive and ambition to learn all skills required to succeed, which I spotted when he was on MasterChef, he stood out to me as someone who was very creative, focused and calm, which is the type of chef that I want in my kitchen. Liam is also passionate about nurturing the team, as am I, so I am confident we will work well together. I’m very excited for him to join my team and seeing what the future has in store for Northcote.”
Speaking about the return to a 7-day operation, Craig Bancroft, Managing Director at Northcote commented: “It is brilliant that we have finally managed to achieve a full staff structure. We personally, and the industry as a whole, have faced a very challenging time with recruitment following lockdown, so I’m delighted to be able to say that we have a full team which allows us to return to opening Northcote every day of the week. We can now start to offer more of our two night experiences. We will be offering a special Sunday/Monday Champagne Break and the diary has opened up to allow more availability for local clientele to dine in the restaurant.”
For more information on Northcote, visit https://www.northcote.com/
