Northcote team to open cathedral cafe

THE team behind Northcote, the Michelin starred restaurant and hotel, are to open a café at Blackburn Cathedral.

Celebrity chef Nigel Haworth and business partner Craig Bancroft are behind the venture called Café Northcote.

The 78 cover café is in the new £8.5m Cathedral Court Building facing into Cathedral Square, which forms part of the new £30m Cathedral Quarter development.
 
Around 15 jobs will be created along with two apprentice posts. In addition, there will be a partnership with Blackburn College for work placements and training opportunities.
 
At Cathedral Court accommodation is being provided for cathedral staff in what is the first new complete set of Cathedral domestic buildings to be built for 600 years. 
 
The building which is nearing completion will provide offices, conference rooms and a library surrounding a landscaped cloister garth as well as the newly named ‘Walsingham Hall’ from which Café Northcote will look out on to the large square built for large events and festivals.
 
It is intended that the project in partnership with Blackburn Cathedral and backed by both Blackburn with Darwen Council and Lancashire Enterprise Partnership (LEP) will be a ‘beacon for the best of Lancashire’ and focus on local food, craftsmanship, creativity and artisanship.

Nigel Haworth of Northcote, said: “We are delighted to finally be working in partnership with Lancashire’s cathedral to create a new and vibrant café concept, championing local produce and Blackburn’s heritage. We look forward to new exciting times expanding the Northcote brand into Blackburn and being part of bringing this incredible Cathedral Quarter development to life.”
 
The Very Reverend Christopher Armstrong, Dean of Blackburn, said “Hospitality has been and continues to be central to the Cathedrals ministry. This new partnership with Northcote shows a commitment to excellence and will make the Cathedral even more attractive as a destination for visitors throughout the region and beyond”.
 
Northcote recently won the UK’s Best Restaurant outside London in the Food & Travel Reader Awards and also Lancashire Life’s Hotel Restaurant of the Year.