All In London talks to Francesco Mazzei

L’Anima is Italian for ‘soul’ - we look at what puts the soul in Francesco's food.

Where do you source your ingredients?
Mainly locally, apart from the olive oil, tomatoes and cheese.

Which are your favourite London restaurants?
Hakkasan and St John.

What is your favourite food to experiment with?
British produce in general but at the moment asparagus.

Can you name a food that you regard as a guilty pleasure?
Ice cream. I grew up working in my uncle’s ice cream shop and I still can’t get enough of it.

Is there an ingredient you hate using?
Crab sticks, because they only have 40% crab meat in them.

What do you think restaurant trends will be for the year ahead?
I think diners will be more and more in search of simple but excellent food. Whether it is going down to the local gastro pub or finding a real trattoria like we have back home.

What has your most valuable experience as a chef been?
Opening my own restaurant.

This article is connected to L'Anima
Published Jul 4, 2012