Meet the chef: Angela Hartnett of Murano
The Michelin-starred chef on returning to Royal Ascot, her earliest food memories, and how The Connaught changed her career
Angela Hartnett is now a bonafide British household name. But when she was 26, and about to join Gordon Ramsay for a one-day trial at his debut London restaurant, Aubergine, in 1994, thoughts of such fame couldn’t have been further from her mind. Born in Kent to Italian-Irish parents, her childhood revolved around fresh food and flavours hailing from the mother’s village of Bardi in Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, which her maternal grandparents called home. It is this cuisine she has become famous for, forging an illustrious career underpinned by Michelin stars, no-fuss food, and TV and podcast appearances.
Hartnett’s one-day trial with Ramsay turned into a 17-year stint under the chef, where she worked at his early restaurants Zafferano and L’Oranger, as well as the still-open Michelin-starred Petrus and Ramsay’s first overseas opening in Dubai. Ramsay demanded a lot – Hartnett told The Guardian in 2023 that “Gordon Ramsay shouting became like water off a duck’s back” – but she also credits him with teaching her one of the biggest lessons in cheffing: consistency.
It was her unwavering consistency and undeniable talent that saw Hartnett launch Menu at The Connaught alongside Ramsay. Here, she earned her first Michelin star, before The Connaught contract ended in 2008 and she moved to Mayfair with a new British-Italian concept, Murano – now a restaurant synonymous with Italian fine dining – and earned a star less than a year after opening. Hartnett was on the map and, for her second act, launched a relaxed offshoot of the brand, Café Murano, which now has outposts in Bermondsey, St James’s, Covent Garden and, as of last year, Marylebone.
It is at the latter that we meet to discuss one of her most exciting projects of 2026: returning to Royal Ascot for the first time in 12 years. Every year, the iconic race meet pulls out all the stops to pair sporting action with culinary excellence, and this year’s roster of celebrated chefs’ boast 29 Michelin stars, three Green Michelin stars, and more than 30 AA Rosettes between them. Alongside restaurants overseen by Raymond Blanc, Simon Rogan, and Yannick Alléno, Hartnett will take over the kitchen in On 5 – the Queen Anne Enclosure’s flagship restaurant – serving a seasonal menu rooted in her modern Italian style. Managed to nab yourself some tickets? You’re in for a treat, with roasted Scottish scallops in lemon verbena and Vesuvius tomatoes, herb-crusted Lake District lamb with courgette salad and her famous Amalfi lemon tart slated to be on the menu.
Alongside her ever-expanding culinary empire, TV appearances, the Dish podcast – hosted alongside broadcaster Nick Grimshaw and during which she cooks for the likes of Louis Theroux, Jodie Whittaker and Niall Horan – and Royal Ascot residency, Hartnett has a lot on her plate (ahem). Here, she talks the importance of home cooking, her Ascot ambitions and the London chefs she’s impressed with.
I always loved being around food and cooking, but I wouldn’t say I knew it would end up like this. Food was just always central to our family life – my grandmother’s Italian cooking, Sunday lunches, that sense of being around a table.
Probably at home with family – my mum was a great cook. We were very fortunate to have a mum that cooked fresh meals for us every night. Never really had any food allergies or fads – you ate what was given to you and we were lucky to have delicious food.
I trained on the job. I worked at Midsummer House in Cambridge early on, and from there I just kept learning.
The Connaught was a hugely formative time for me – working there put me at the heart of classic, serious cooking and set standards I carry with me to this day.
Salt cod fritters, confit garlic crostini with lovage pesto, and whipped ricotta with confit onions & crushed peas
Roasted Scottish scallops in lemon verbena and Vesuvius tomatoes
Seasonality – and really great suppliers.
I wanted to create a more relaxed dining experience, but I wouldn’t have said it was one or the other. They’re just different. We’re in the Marylebone Café Murano and have three others in Bermondsey, Covent Garden and St James. It’s about finding local areas because we want to be in the community. Marylebone is a wonderful area and has a great village-y feel.
Asparagus with cashew cream and peaches
Lake District lamb, herb curst with a courgette salad, pesto alla trapanese
I did Ascot years and years ago with a pop-up Café Murano in a private enclosure and that was great fun. This is a different thing altogether. I’m looking forward to it – you never know how these things are going to go until you’ve done them but from past experience and speaking to other chefs who have done it, like Lisa Goodwin-Allen and Phil Howard, they’ve all had a great time and enjoyed it. It should be lots of fun.
We’re doing a very simple menu. [We] don’t know the kitchen, will be catering for big numbers and are on a time constraint as everyone wants their starter and main course by the time the Royal Party has come from Windsor. We want to keep things delicious and fresh. We have a fabulous scallop dish with lemon verbena and Vesuvius tomato dressing, and then we have a rack of lamb with braised courgettes, red mullet linguine, and we also have this beautiful veggie dish with cashew cream and asparagus. We’re keeping it very seasonal and don’t mess around with it to keep it very approachable.
Seb Myers is doing something really special at Planque and Ed Wilson at Brawn has always impressed me.
With my friends and family, as much as possible.
Visit cafemurano.co.uk, muranolondon.com and ascot.com
Read more: Meet the chef: Cyril Lignac of Bar des Prés
