Celebrate Spring with the Arrival of Lisa Goodwin-Allen’s New Seasonal Gourmet Menu at Northcote

The latest offering for spring at Northcote, the new seasonal gourmet five-course tasting menu, encapsulates traditional seasonal flavours, while adhering to a no waste philosophy that sources locally and uses the entirety of each ingredient.

Chef Lisa Goodwin-Allen is renowned for her innovative, nostalgic cooking style, which reimagines classic dishes and flavour combinations, with creative, contemporary flair. Diners are taken on a culinary journey, with each dish a homage to the spirit of the season and paired thoughtfully with a complementary wine flight.

It’s the perfect way to experience all that Northcote’s Michelin-star team has to offer this season.

The 5 Course Gourmet Menu - £135.00 per person

Pressed Quail
Celeriac, Green Apple, Nasturtium, Flaky Milk Bread
Clos Mireille Rosé, Domaine Ott, Côtes de Provence, France, 2022
125ml £18.40 | Bottle £104.00

Roscoff Onion
Slow Cooked in Iberico Fat, Wild Garlic, Curds & Whey
Riesling Steinterrassen, Weingut Stadt Krems, Kremstal, Austria, 2022
125ml £11.50 | Bottle £63.00

Native Lobster
Roasted Over Coal, Foie Gras, Sea Buckthorn, Thermidor Sauce
Chardonnay, Newton Johnson, Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, Cape South Coast, South Africa, 2021
125ml £17.20 | Bottle £97.00

Lake District Lamb
Lamb Bacon, Spilmans Asparagus, Mint
Agiorgitiko, Gaía, Nemea, Greece, 2021
175ml £16.00 | Bottle £61.00

“Millionaire” Valrhona Chocolate, Gooseberry, Almond, Shortbread
Riesling Vendange Tardives, Rolly Gassmann, Kappelweg de Rorschwihr, Alsace, France, 2000
70ml £13.90 | Bottle £133.00

Your choice of freshly ground Colombian Huila & El Salvador Blend Coffee or a selection of Teas served with Hand Crafted Northcote Chocolates

Wine Flight Wine Glass Package £77.00 Wine Bottle Package £458.00 Wines subject to change.

An elegant opening course

Lisa is an accomplished game chef, so it’s perhaps no surprise that the opening course is Pressed Quail. Lisa says of the first course “Quail is a lighter meat which makes it very appropriate for Spring, it’s really elegant.”

The Michelin starred onion

Lisa is often quoted as saying the onion is one of her favourite ingredients and in this menu, the simple staple is given prominence to truly shine. For her second course, Roscoff Onion, Lisa brings the onion to the forefront of the plate, the sweetness of which is harmonised with a sauce made from curds and whey and finished with wild garlic.

“Onions are probably one of my favourite ingredients because they’re always a peasant thrown into dishes and aren’t given their status. A Roscoff onion is quite soft and slightly sweet, which works quite elegantly in what we have created.”

“The philosophy of the restaurant is that we use as much as we can from an ingredient. We use the curds, freeze them and make pearls and the whey is made into a decadent sauce” she says, “Then we finish it with wild garlic, which is vast in season now, all on riverbanks nearby to the restaurant.”

Native lobster paired with Sea Buckthorn

A middle fish course of Native Lobster is given an unusual partner, by Lisa and her team, she says: “We cook it straight over coals, so it has a light smoky flavour, and this one is a bit abstract, as we pair it with Sea Buckthorn - a wild berry that lives on the sea banks, which is made into a puree.”

A classic seasonal combination reimagined – including lamb bacon and mint jelly

The penultimate course of Lake District Lamb brilliantly demonstrates Lisa’s cooking ethos:

Lisa says, “I like the fact that you can bring that nostalgic feel to dishes, so we’re doing mint with our lamb. We make mint jelly, which is made from an infusion of apple juice and mint with vinegar.

“We use all of the lamb, we roast it on the bone and use the biproducts to make the sauce, as well as the stuffed belly on the side. We also make our lamb bacon that goes through the sauce, and we cure our lamb which goes into the mousse, made from the trimmings.”

Millionaire shortbread - Northcote style

Lisa’s take on a classic dessert is her “Millionaire” which brings in the instantly recognisable caramel, biscuit and chocolate combination that’s loved by the masses, but brought to life with gooseberry jelly.

Talking of the inspiration for her dessert Lisa says: “We are still on the cusp of not getting those peachy flavours through yet, but gooseberries are in season. So, we’ve created a shortbread millionaire, which has a biscuit base, a chocolate mousse, gooseberry jelly, caramel and almond ice cream. We also have a tube that has a gooseberry sauce inside and is coated in cocoa butter.”

Diners are encouraged to eat downwards with their spoon to get a taste of each layer, which when combined, really does create magic.

The wine flight for this season’s menu has been chosen by the award winning Northcote wine team, led by head sommelier Magda Sleziak.