Events & Competitions

Nigel Haworth will be hosting the gastronomic festival Obsession at Northcote

Win dinner for two and an overnight stay at Obsession

In January, Michelin-starred hotel-restaurant Northcote in Lancashire will celebrate a decade of Obsession, its annual festival showcasing fine food and wine.

The gastronomic event, run by chef-proprietor Nigel Haworth and business partner Craig Bancroft from 25 January to 3 February 2010, will feature a Michelin-starred line-up of chefs, each cooking an exclusive menu. Those participating include Tom Kitchin, Phil Howard, Angela Hartnett, KenHom, Andrew Fairlie, Nathan Outlaw, Theo Randall and Jacob Jan Boerma.

Caterersearch.com and Obsession have teamed up with industry charity Hospitality Action to give one lucky reader the chance to win dinner for two with wine and an overnight stay at Northcote on the last night of the event.

For a chance to win, donate £5 to Hospitality Action and your name will automatically be entered into the prize draw. The competition closes at midnight on Friday 22 January 2010. To enter visit www.caterersearch.com/e_SFlbobsession2010

restaurant manager of the year: get nominating

The Academy of Food & Wine is looking for entrants to the UK Restaurant Manager of the Year 2010 competition.

Launched last year, the competition, which is open to managers of any style of catering establishment, seeks a manager with great business acumen, thorough knowledge of their trade and the ability to recruit, manage and motivate their team.

Judges will include former Le Gavroche maître d' Silvano Giraldin, now director of Roux Consulting; Academy director Matt Wilkin, proprietor of the Princess Victoria, London; and Conor O'Leary, F&B manager at the Andaz hotel London.

Last year's winner was Peter Avis, restaurant manager at London's Babylon restaurant at the Kensington Roof Gardens.

To enter the competition, call the Academy on 020 8661 4646 or visit www.afws.co.uk before 29 January 2010.

last chance to get tickets for the General Managers' conference

Nearly all the tickets for the General Managers' conference on 18 and 19 January have now been sold. Anyone wishing to attend should apply without delay to avoid disappointment.

An additional 30 tickets have just been released for hoteliers wishing to attend the conference only (excluding the gala dinner) at a special rate of £200. For an application form, go to www.masterinnholders.co.uk