Lisa Goodwin-Allen

Lisa on TV

Charity Work

Giving back to the industry and training her team is hugely important to Lisa and something that she takes great enjoyment in. Lisa invests time daily in training the Northcote brigade as it is satisfying for both them and her to teach new skills, get them excited about ingredients, and continually move the brigade forward. In 2017, Lisa was involved in Springboard’s FutureChef, an industry-backed resource aimed at inspiring young people aged 12 – 16 to cook through classroom activities, demonstrations, competitions and awards.

Her work with charities which care for young people like Blackburn Youth Zone, Lakeside Project, Children of the Mountain and CSSG (Creative Services Support Group) demonstrates her passion for empowering young people to fulfil their potential.

At the start of the Coronavirus lockdown in March 2020, Lisa led the kitchen brigade as they prepared food boxes from Northcote’s surplus kitchen stock to donate to local charities and good causes. Lisa personally delivered some of these to hospitals and care facilities nearby.

Supporting initiatives within the industry is also paramount to Lisa and the Northcote team. She is a champion of Hospitality Action who provide support services to help hospitality people back on their feet again after a setback and in 2021, Lisa contributed to the Chefs at Home charity cookbook in support of the charity, as well as cooking at key events in their calendar.

Her roles as Chef Ambassador for the British Association of Shooting and Conservation (BASC) and Ambassador for Slow Food in the UK and Taste Lancashire have given her the platform to promote all that’s good about the hospitality industry and inspire future generations.

“I love to encourage people to come into this fantastic industry where you can learn so much and meet so many interesting people.”

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After joining Northcote aged 20, Lisa became chef de partie after a year, junior sous chef the following year then at the age of 23 was named head chef, one of the youngest chefs to take on the role in a Michelin starred kitchen at the time. Since then she has helped to maintain the restaurant’s Michelin Star which it has held continuously since 1996.

Born in Lancashire, Lisa became interested in cookery at school enjoying the opportunity to be creative and express herself. Her culinary career began at Lancaster & Morecambe College. After graduating, she worked in several prestigious restaurants, including the two Michelin-starred Le Champignon Sauvage in Gloucester, before arriving at Northcote.

Lisa lives and breathes food; it is this passion that means she is always looking for interesting ingredients and techniques and experimenting to create dishes where the ingredients and their flavour shine through.

Northcote’s ethos to use local suppliers is a passion close to Lisa’s heart. There are many unsung heroes and new generations developing new products that she loves to discover and work with. She uses seasonal, locally sourced ingredients to incorporate her Lancashire roots into stunning, creative dishes.

“I like food to be very visual, very elegant and packed with great flavours. It must taste of what you see. Food is very emotive and I love re-visiting some of the classics.”

Executive Chef Lisa is an instrumental figure in Northcote’s gastronomic celebration, Obsession. She leads the kitchen brigade to cook alongside some of the world’s best chefs at the annual event, which was founded in 2001.

Outside of work, Lisa loves to spend time with her husband and young son, often cooking with him. If she wasn’t a chef, Lisa says her career would probably involve cars. She used to race when she was younger and is into supercars and watching Formula 1!