Speakers

Craig Bancroft is director of wines at Northcote, renowned for his pairings and as synonymous with the country-house hotel and Michelin-starred restaurant as chef patron Nigel Haworth. Passionate about all things vine, Craig has spent the last 29 years developing Northcote’s award-winning wine cellar – now home to an impressive 400-plus bins from around the world. From humble beginnings as a kitchen porter in London’s Kensington Close Hotel, Craig went on to join the Trusthouse Forte International Management training programme, where he spent six months as chef of Grosvenor House Hotel, followed by another six months in the two Michelin-star Plaza Athénée in Paris. Deciding he wanted to be on the managerial side of things, Craig continued to work at renowned hotels like The Westbury and The Strand Palace, both in London, before landing the position of general manager at Northcote in 1983, making him the youngest general manager of a hotel at jut 23-years-old. As winner of The Caterer and Hotelkeeper Acorn Award in 1987, Craig worked tirelessly to transform Northcote into the prestigious property it is today.

It was at Northcote that Craig developed his passion for pairing interesting wines with Nigel’s honest, seasonal British cuisine. The duo was awarded a Michelin star in 1996, making them the only manager and chef to collect the award together. Parallel to the success of Northcote, Craig entered The Academy of Food and Wine Hall of Fame in 2010. But accolades for Craig’s accomplishments didn’t stop there. In 2013, also Craig won the Association of Portuguese Wine Importers (APWI) Special Award, which had only been presented three times over the past 25 years, and the AA England Wine Award 2013-2014. Most recently, Craig was named Imbibe Hotel Personality of The Year 2014. Together with Nigel, Craig’s recent projects have been opening up the luxurious Louis Roederer Rooms for private dining, launching the Northcote Cookery School - where students can learn to prepare meals within the Michelin-starred kitchen – and adding four fabulous new rooms to the hotel’s plush portfolio.