Northcote Cookery School awarded ‘Centre of Excellence’

Northcote Cookery School, located within the Michelin Starred Kitchens of Northcote Country House Hotel in Lancashire, has been awarded a prestigious accreditation for their exceptional teaching standards and facilities, from leading regulatory body, the Independent Cookery Schools Association (ICSA).

Northcote Cookery School specialises in cookery courses focusing on fresh regional and seasonal produce, sourced from their extensive range of local, regional and British suppliers, which supply their Michelin awarded kitchens. Providing produce for their wide range of cooking classes and experiences for individuals of all levels of expertise.

The school provides a hands-on, immersive learning environment for its leisure and skills-based students. Each class is expertly crafted by Northcote’s Executive Head Chef Lisa Goodwin-Allen, and Head Tutor Ben Hinchliffe, capturing the essence and inspirations of the Michelin starred kitchen, each class being expertly taught by Head Chef Tutor Richard, ably supported by his team. The classes cover a variety of specialisms, from fish, to meats, World Cuisine, and during the Summer their outdoor BBQ and smoking courses. Each showcasing the artisan suppliers and offering in depth industry insights, and knowledge gleamed from working within the Michelin starred kitchens. Students are also treated to an extensive behind the scenes kitchen tour prior to commencing their cookery class and also awarded part way through their day with a 2 course Michelin lunch!

ICSA accredited cookery schools undergo rigorous assessments to ensure consistent delivery of excellence in cookery skills and training alongside equipment levels and facilities, as well as other criteria such as adhering to strict standards of environmental sustainability and continued support for British farmers, suppliers and seasonal produce.

Accreditation from a recognised industry body such as ICSA is also vital for aspiring chefs to be able to choose their cookery school to further their professional careers within the hospitality industry and other related culinary professions. Aspiring domestic chefs can also gain new transferrable skills to improve their culinary knowledge and applications in their home kitchens including knife skills, world food courses and nutritional understandings for both young and old.

James Day, Director of Operations at ICSA, said: “The quality of cookery classes at Northcote Cookery School are second-to-none. The state-of-the-art cookery school, though not large, has been expertly designed to deliver an intimate, yet professional cookery experience. Uniquely located within the Michelin kitchens, the glass sliding doors provide an unrivalled window to the workings of a Michelin kitchen, almost like you are cooking with the brigade! The in-depth knowledge of Head Chef Tutor Ben Hinchliffe and his respect for ingredients, alongside the support of Ben Hinchcliffe delivers a unique cookery experience.

“During their rigorous 4 hour assessment, I was personally impressed by their knowledge, style and approach to teaching, underpinned by clear passion and enthusiasm for fresh seasonal produce, animal welfare and attention to detail. Their teaching style is passionate, informative, with a clear focus on depth of flavour, as one would expect within such a high-level kitchen environment as Northcote. Tutor Ben displayed a clear depth of knowledge and passion for the industry and keen transferring of their extensive skills to students. Delivering a unique, memorable and inspiring learning experience for students of all levels.

“Teaching standards are key to an ICSA accredited cookery school. High levels of teaching provided by the Chef Tutors and their team are essential. Chef Ben was extremely approachable, knowledgeable and able to blend professional teaching with a relaxed atmosphere. The feedback from the students was very positive, many sharing the transferable skills they had learned and had clearly enjoyed their day, as did I. We are delighted to award the team our coveted ‘ICSA Centre of Excellence Award’.

On receiving his award, Ben Hinchliffe {pictured above} commented “I am delighted to be recognised by ICSA for our quality teaching standards and facilities. It is always daunting when you are being assessed, but James and the team at ICSA have been very approachable and supportive in recent months, and we welcomed their visit and valued feedback. We are honoured to be the first Michelin starred Kitchen cookery school to receive this prestigious accreditation of ‘Centre of Excellence’, joining some of the greatest and most respected accredited cookery schools in the UK.”

For more information on their assessment and a link to their courses visit here

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