Heathcote celebrates 20th anniversary

13 Jul 2010

Chef Paul Heathcote is celebrating the 20th anniversary of his flagship Longridge restaurant, which formed the roots of his £10 million restaurant group. The 49-year old's restaurant is hailed as "one of the best restaurants in the north west", but the early days were not easy for the chef. He had sold his house and cashed in his pension to raise the £250,000 required to open the Longridge restaurant, and nine days after opening, it suffered a major fire.

Determined to make a success of his investment, Heathcote managed to reopen the restaurant just two days later and went on to earn two Michelin stars and become perhaps the most influential chef in the north of England as he gave new life to traditional Lancashire foods such as hotpot, black pudding and bread and butter pudding. A Guardian article states that: "His cooking was all about inspiring pride in a forgotten British culinary tradition", and he differentiated himself from other chefs in the 1990s as he used local suppliers, forging "close links with artisans and farmers". This was the key to the chef's success, and the article investigates how he went on to expand his business and product range, becoming "less and less a pioneering chef and more and more an ambitious businessman." Heathcote's future will determine whether he is remembered for his culinary expertise and sourcing of local food or his ability as a chef-entrepreneur.

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