For the ninth year in succession Northcote is running its legendary weeklong gastronomic extravaganza in January/February 2009, with some of the UK’s greatest chefs each cooking a special “one night only” menu. John Radford talked to them.

Like many ideas, this one came from California. Nigel Haworth was having dinner with Ian Harkness, the chairman of Shire Inns, who had just come back from a food festival at the Highlands Inn in Carmel which had been a great success. Nigel decided to go and see for himself, and during his week there met Tony Baker, the English-born chef of the Montrio Bistro in Monterrey, who was taking part, and Nigel was inspired: the event broke down barriers between chefs, got them to know each other and displayed different styles and techniques of cookery.

‘Why don’t we do this?’ Was his next thought, and that’s how “Obsession” was born.