Northcote Cookery School
Ian Jones, Food and Drink Editor
Northcote leads the way when it comes to Michelin-starred dining in the North, but it does more than simply feed hungry fine-dining food lovers. For the past ten years, the award-winning Northcote Cookery School has been lifting the lid on cookery secrets for thousands of visitors.
The school’s wide-ranging masterclasses cover everything from barbecues to baking, plus region-specific courses such as Flavours Of Asia and today’s class, A Taste of Lancashire.
The classes all take place in a beautifully kitted-out space next to the actual Northcote kitchen so you can check out the real deal. (Sorry to disappoint all you The Bear-loving rubberneckers, it’s happy and chaos-free.)
Classes begin just after 9am, so after a quick breakfast, it’s time to learn. We’re in the capable hands of Ben Hinchliffe, who comes armed with an encyclopedic knowledge of cooking and many entertaining kitchen anecdotes, plus vital support from kitchen assistant Darcy.
Today’s menu-in-the-making includes Lancashire butter pie, lamb loin, Manchester tart, pommes Anna, carrot fondant and more. All equipment provided, every question answered. And there’s even a break for a Michelin-standard two-course lunch, plus a glass of wine.
The lunch is practically worth the price alone. Today there’s a choice of aged beef sirloin with mushroom bourguignon sauce and lyonnaise potato, or steamed plaice, with gloriously fresh mussels, cooked in sweet onions and parsley, dotted with lemon gel; followed by a marvellous Valrhona chocolate and vanilla ice cream dessert.
It’s a grand meal that fits the theme and provides ideal fuel for the second half of this in-depth course. The whole day is better described as a kitchen experience than a mere cooking class. As well as recipes, you learn how to butcher meat, witness a working high-end kitchen, plus a trip outside to pick ingredients from the on-site garden.
Impressively, it’s ideal for beginners and experts alike. You’ll pick up a wealth of useful information, including how to fix mistakes, balance flavours and arrange your plate, courtesy of the North’s top chefs.
The food itself? As someone whose cooking skills hover around the ‘burn water’ mark, most new mums would envy the way I feel about my exquisitely jiggly Manchester tart. It’s gloriously authentic too, showcasing timeless, region-appropriate flavours at their best. (As a Wiganer, my heart will always belong to Lancashire, damn you, Local Government Act 1972.)
Oh, and you’ll be taking food home – a lot of it. Some to freeze, some to gift, and some to guzzle the very next day.
But more than anything, the teaching style is why Northcote’s cooking classes are regarded as the best in the North – learning is more effective when it’s fun. A course here doesn’t feel like double food tech at school; it feels like hanging out with mates, having a laugh while simultaneously learning how to produce a series of astoundingly good dishes.
