‘Nothing can adequately prepare you for a visit to this restaurant. No amount of high-flown rhetoric about its food, no lashings of hyperbole about its civilised

Born into a cooking dynasty in Corgeno on the shores of Lake Comabbio in Northern Italy, Giorgio Locatelli is considered by many to be one of the finest Italian chefs in the UK and the world. At Locanda Locatelli, Giorgio serves traditional Italian dishes, emphasising the quality and freshness of the produce as well as adding his own creative touch. Giorgio is steeped in the history and traditions of Italian cooking, having helped out (and later worked) in the kitchens of

It was here that Giorgio learned that food is about quality and company. “La Convivialità explains the way Italians feel about food,” he says in the foreword to his best-selling book Made In Italy, Food & Stories. “For us the sign of welcome is to feed people. At the heart of all cooking, whether you are rich or poor, is the spirit of conviviality, the pleasure that comes from sharing a meal with others. And there is no enjoyment of food without quality.”

Giorgio’s background shaped the attitudes that remain part of his distinctive character today – but, keen to test his knowledge and explore the world, he came to London to serve a 4ó year apprenticeship with Anton Edelmann’s brilliant, Escoffier-inspired cuisine at The Savoy. Three years in Paris – at Laurent and La Tour d’Argent – were followed by