Northcote: what's it like to cook in a Michelin star restaurant alongside Masterchef's Lisa Goodwin-Allen

I was invited to spend a day learning the tricks of the trade at Northcote – the Michelin star restaurant nestled in the heart of the Ribble Valley famous for its all-star chef’s top recipes.

Whether your last experience learning to cook was in high school (just like me) or you’re the no-need for recipes pro, this day is for you. My day at Northcote’s culinary school started with a light breakfast of fresh fruit and sourdough toast, providing some much-needed energy. That’s followed by a tour of the kitchen, where Masterchef mentor and Northcote’s head chef Lisa Goodwin-Allen and her team of talented chefs work their magic.

We then met our tutors for the day, Richard Ogden and Ben Hinchliffe, who filled the day with fun and food facts, with a healthy serving of light-hearted banter about my lack of experience in the kitchen. It was then time to get stuck as Richard and Ben explained in meticulous detail the science of each dish we would be preparing.

Each ingredient had to be precisely measured and matched with a counterpart to to create a concoction of delicious flavours. The menu we prepared included a warm cured salmon with white balsamic butter sauce, dill oil and pickled cucumber.

This was followed by salt aged beef, marrowbone crust with smoked pancetta and mushroom bourguignon, pomme anna. And to complete this wonderful trio was Lisa’s Apple Cheesecake. Throughout the day we stayed refreshed with tea, coffee and tasty biscuit snacks. With a wine-tasting session in the middle of the day.

For lunch we took off our complimentary Northcote Cookery School Aprons and were led into the restaurant where we enjoyed a delicious two course meal prepared by the chefs.

It really was a fun-filled day of learning new skills and seeing just some of the hard work, dedication and effort that goes into Michelin Star cooking. The chefs showed a passion for each component of each meal and gave their class tips and tricks on how to perfect each course to Michelin standard. Private courses for any number of attendees at Northecote can be booked, up to a maximum of eight people from £235pp.