Angela Hartnett is the executive chef and proprietor of the one Michelin starred, Murano.
Angela Hartnett MBE is a renowned British chef who has worked in some of the UK’s finest restaurants and opened Murano in 2008. Within four months of opening, Murano was awarded a Michelin star.
Murano
20 Queen Street, Mayfair, London, W1J 5PP
Opening hours: Lunch Monday to Saturday 12pm to 3pm
Angela Hartnett was born in Kent in 1968. After the passing of her father at the young age of eight, Angela’s mother moved the family to Upminster to be closer to their family.
Before she was born, Angela’s mother and grandparents immigrated to Wales from Bardi in Italy, and her heritage has influenced her cooking style throughout her career.
Becoming a chef was not Angela’s first port of call. She first achieved a degree in Modern History at Cambridge Polytechnic, but the calling of the kitchen saw her land her first job at Sandy Lane Hotel in Barbados.
Panzanella agnolotti stracciatella basil
After returning to the UK in 1999, Angela was hired by Gordon Ramsay to work at Aubergine.
In her time at Aubergine, she saw the restaurant win its first Michelin Star. Angela moved on to Zafferano in Belgravia, London, for six months and then to Marcus Wareing’s L’Oranger, where she was named his sous-chef.
Then, Angela and Marcus both moved to Gordon Ramsay's Pétrus in Knightsbridge, London, and within seven months Angela became the head chef. She was at the helm when the restaurant earned a Michelin star.
Angela launched Amaryllis in Scotland with David Dempsey in 2001 and later turned her attention to the launch of Gordon Ramsay’s Verre in Dubai.
The chef returned to the UK in 2002 to open MENU and The Grill Room at London’s prestigious hotel, The Connaught, in Mayfair. With her as the named chef patron, the restaurant went on to win a ‘Best New Restaurant’ Award in 2003 and a Michelin Star in 2004.
What the guides say...
Michelin Guide
AA Restaurant Guide
Hardens
Murano
Angela opened Murano in 2008 and within 4 months achieved a Michelin star, followed by 4 AA Rosettes.
The restaurant serves modern Italian dishes using seasonal British and European produce in clear and approachable ways.
While pasta dishes are predictably popular, so too is the pistachio soufflé, which the Michelin Guide states "has become a signature."
The wine list is Italian-focused, featuring the usual suspects as well as some lesser-known regions.
Seabass fennel ragu roasted red pepper basil
Murano & Lockdown
During the successive lockdowns of 2020 and 2021, Murano released a range of home meal boxes that featured a selection of the restaurant's Italian dishes.
The boxes were available for Nationwide delivery and went under the name Café Murano.
Hartnett Holder & Co
In 2012, Angela opened Hartnett Holder & Co in partnership with Robin Hutson and Chef Luke Holder.
In September 2013, Angela launched the critically-acclaimed Merchants Tavern in Shoreditch, in collaboration with Head Chef Neil Borthwick, and Canteen founders Dominic Lake and Patrick Clayton-Malone.
In November of that year, she opened the similarly championed Café Murano in St James', a brasserie and little sister to Murano, which opened a second branch in Covent Garden in 2015 and a third in Bermondsey in 2019.
Television
Angela has made increasingly regular TV appearances throughout her career, featuring in ITV’s Hell’s Kitchen alongside Gordon Ramsay, on Tonight with Trevor McDonald, GMTV and competing for Wales in BBC2’s Great British Menu in 2006.
She is often seen on the Great British Menu as a veteran judge, as well as appearing on Saturday Kitchen and on Raymon Blanc's ITV series, Simply Raymond in 2021.
Royal Recognition
In 2007, Angela was awarded an MBE for her services to the hospitality and culinary industry.
Cookbooks
Angela has three cookbooks to her name, Cucina (2007), Angela’s Kitchen (2011), and A Taste of Home (2011). Published by Ebury.
She is also one of the writers of The Great British Food Revival (2011), along with that she is also co-author of First Crack Your Egg! (2007) along with John Burton Race, and co-authored two Great British Menu cookbooks with Nick Nairn and Paul Rankin in 2006 and 2007.
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