Description
Northcote Cookery School, Lancashire.
Northcote Cookery School – ICSA Centre of Excellence
Located within the renowned Northcote Hotel in Lancashire, Northcote Cookery School offers a truly distinctive culinary learning experience. The school operates alongside the restaurant’s celebrated Michelin-starred kitchen and is led by Executive Chef Lisa Goodwin-Allen, with Head Chef Tutor Ben Hinchliffe guiding the cookery school’s teaching programmes.
Following a comprehensive assessment by ICSA inspectors, Northcote Cookery School has been awarded full ICSA Accreditation and recognised as a ‘Centre of Excellence’, reflecting the exceptional quality of its teaching standards, facilities and overall student experience.
Uniquely situated within the Michelin-starred kitchen itself, the cookery school offers students a rare insight into the workings of a professional fine-dining environment. Sliding glass doors allow participants to observe the brigade in action while learning in a purpose-designed teaching kitchen that provides an intimate yet highly professional learning space.
Head Chef Tutor Ben Hinchliffe brings extensive professional knowledge and a deep respect for exceptional ingredients, guiding students through techniques that reflect the philosophy of the Northcote kitchen. Supported by the wider team, the school delivers a distinctive and inspiring cookery experience.
Courses and Culinary Experiences
Northcote Cookery School specialises in hands-on masterclasses and immersive culinary courses designed to help students develop practical skills while experiencing the atmosphere of a Michelin-starred kitchen.
Courses range from specialist themed masterclasses and full-day cookery experiences to more intensive multi-day programmes exploring advanced techniques such as pastry, butchery, fishmongery, smoking, curing and wine pairing.
Each course combines demonstration with practical cooking, ensuring participants gain confidence while working with high-quality seasonal ingredients in a fully professional environment.
Whether attending to learn new skills, refine existing techniques or simply enjoy a memorable day immersed in great food, students benefit from expert tuition in a supportive and inspiring setting.
Northcote Cookery School continues to play an important role within the ICSA network, exemplifying the association’s commitment to excellence in teaching, professional kitchen standards and inspiring the next generation of cooks and food enthusiasts.
Read our Exclusive Interview with Chef Tutor Ben Hinchliffe here
ICSA ACCREDITED: Centre of Excellence August 2023
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Meet Ben Hinchliffe, your Head Northcote Cookery School Tutor.
With his 17+ years’ experience in the culinary field and teacher training background he is ideally suited to help bring out the best out of all our cookery student guests. His caring passionate nature, always with a sense of humour and hands on approach to teaching guarantees you will enjoy your day as well as learning about new produce; dishes; skills and techniques.
Ben offers a wealth of knowledge. Ben’s previous experience in butcheries and fish mongers makes his specialty ‘Meat & Fish’, which features across several of our Cookery School classes. Ben has also worked as Head Chef at leading pubs in the UK, managing the kitchen and mentoring his teams to produce outstanding menus. He enjoyed taking three years out when he travelled the world, taking time along the way to learn about new cuisines, he loves Mediterranean foods and using Asian flavours. Ben’s early career involved teacher training, achieving his degree and then becoming a Lecturer in catering and hospitality at Accrington & Rossendale college, covering a broad range of courses in cookery, hygiene and hospitality management, taking students of all levels through their NVQ levels to apprenticeship courses. READ OUR INTERVIEW WITH BEN HERE
