Lisa Allen

Lisa Allen
Born (1981-04-29) 29 April 1981
Lancaster, Lancashire, England, UK[1]

Culinary career

Cooking style British cuisine

Lisa Allen (born 29 April 1981) is a British chef best known for being executive chef of the Michelin starred Northcote restaurant. She was also one of four winning chefs on season five of the BBC cooking show Great British Menu.

Career

She began her culinary career by working at the restaurant Holbeck Ghyll in Windermere, Cumbria.[2] She worked there on a part-time basis whilst completing a three National Vocational Qualification in catering. She also worked at Le Champignon Sauvage in Cheltenham, Gloucestershire, which resulted in her being given a full-time position upon completing her college course.[3]

After a year at the restaurant she felt that she wanted to return home to the north of England and found employment at Northcote Manor under Nigel Haworth as a demi chef de partie in 2001, at the age of 20.[3][4] She later explained that when she joined, she originally intended to stay for a year or two and then move on.[3] After a year she was promoted to chef de partie. In 2003, she became a junior sous chef and was again promoted, to sous chef, after a year. In 2004 she was named executive chef of the restaurant and placed in overall charge of the kitchen,[1] at the age of 23.[4] She successfully retained the Michelin star that had been gained by Haworth,[4] as he moved on to be chef patron of the restaurant.[5]

She was a finalist for the Roux Scholarship in 2006,[1] which was awarded to Pravin Sharma.[6] In 2008 she was named Chef of the Year by the Northern Hospitality Awards.[3] She competed in the fifth season of the BBC cooking show Great British Menu in 2010 in the north-west section of the competition. Allen was the only female chef competing in the competition.[7] She competed against fellow local chefs Johnnie Mountain and Aiden Byrne. Marcus Wareing was the mentor for the group,[8] which saw Lisa win the round and go through to the final.[9] She ended up with a winning dish, becoming one of four chefs to cook at a banquet hosted by Prince Charles. Her winning dish was a rabbit and leek turnover with piccalilli.[10] In 2011, she was named Restaurant Chef of the Year by the Craft Guild of Chefs.[11]

She appeared[12] in series 8, episode 18 of MasterChef: The Professionals as a chef mentor for the semi-finalists.

Personal life

Allen has an allergy to shellfish.[13]

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Miss Lisa Allen". Debrett's. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  2. ↑ "Lisa Allen". BBC Food. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Paskin, Becky (28 August 2009). "Lisa Allen's BigTalent". Big Hospitality. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  4. 1 2 3 Harris, Lea. "Lisa Allen Head Chef Northcote Manor". The Staff Canteen. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  5. ↑ "Lisa Allen". Great British Chefs. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  6. ↑ "The Winners". The Roux Scholarship. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  7. ↑ Parveen, Nazia (13 April 2010). "Ribble Valley chef in TV cookery competition". This is Lancashire. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  8. ↑ "10. North West Judging recipes". BBC Food. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  9. ↑ Manzoori-Stamford, Janie (22 April 2011). "Great British Menu: Lisa Allen beats Johnnie Mountain in battle of the north west". Satellite Dishes. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  10. ↑ Kühn, Kerstin (1 July 2010). "Meet the four finalists in the Great British Menu 2010". Caterer and Hotelkeeper. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  11. ↑ "Craft Guild of Chefs Awards 2011 – Lisa Allen, winner Restaurant Chef award". Table Talk. 3 June 2011. Retrieved 3 September 2012.
  12. ↑ "Masterchef: the Professionals". BBC. Retrieved 9 January 2016.
  13. ↑ "Northcote" (PDF). Vegetarian Living: 48. March 2012.
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