In 2024, she headed back north to open Hansom Restaurant & Wine Bar in Bedale with her husband Mark, which has since bagged a richly deserved spot in the Michelin Guide, gathering up some dizzyingly high praise along the way (being crowned Giles Coren’s favourite restaurant of 2025 is no mean feat, as any restaurateur will attest). Here, she tells us about her mum’s legendary lasagne, a formative childhood quiche, her weakness for cheese – and why you won’t catch her cooking with an air fryer.
What is your earliest food memory?
My earliest food memory was making a quiche with my auntie. I was around four and we made the pastry in a glass bowl, and after everyone had joyously eaten it, we took to the washing up! Only then did we discover there was a little chip in the bowl. I thought it was hilarious; my auntie was quite concerned someone may have eaten it!
Image: Taylor Walling/ Unsplash
What was the food you loved most as a child?
Lasagne. My mum only cooked it when she had taken the day off work, so it didn’t happen very often, but when it did it was a full day affair! The ragu cooked down for hours, the bechamel, the pasta. It was a true labour of love and really taught me the value of patience in cooking.
Who taught you to cook, and what did they teach you?
I first started cooking properly with my stepdad. We grew fruit and veg in the back garden, and using it was always such a treat. I loved making Sunday roasts with him – it was a weekly non-negotiable, even in the heights of summer!
Image: Jonathan Kemper/ Unsplash
Which restaurant/chef has had the biggest impact on you?
My time at The Ritz with John Williams will always be regarded as what taught me the foundations of cookery. There were never corners cut, so you learnt how to do everything properly.
What do you cook when you want to make people happy?
Well that really depends on the people! That’s why I love food, everyone has their own food story and spending time learning what everyone enjoys makes it easy to make them happy.
What ingredient can you never resist buying – and why?
Cheese. I’m always on the lookout for good cheese. I love to try new ones and learn how they are made or matured.
Image: Katrin Leinfellner/ Unsplash
What do you always have in your fridge?
Again, cheese! Or butter – a proper block of salted butter.
What is your ultimate comfort food?
Pho. I love Asian cuisine and a big bowl of dashi stock with noodles and vegetables and herbs and some kind of protein always rocks the box. While I’m working, I’m often tasting really rich foods, so when I’m off it’s comforting to have something fresh and vibrant.
Image: Kirill Tonkikh/ Unsplash
What do you cook when it’s just for you?
Usually some kind of pasta dish. I always seem to be tight for time, so a quick pasta dish with seasonal veg, cheese and whatever else inspires me in the fridge is usually my go to.
Tell us about a meal you'll never forget…
Atelier by Jan Artzig in Munich. The food was incredible – so precise but extremely playful too with lots of nods to traditional German cuisine. The service was fantastic too, so in sync.
What food instantly transports you somewhere else?
Summer rolls. I really love making these for lunch. They’re fresh, crunchy, and remind me of my time spent travelling Vietnam.
Which cookbook would you save if you could only keep one?
Le Répertoire de la Cuisine – it was a book given to me by a teacher before I moved to London and first started studying. I read it front to back and back to front, determined to understand what everything was.
What food trend do you wish would disappear?
Cooking things in an air fryer!
What is the most overrated food?
Pizza. I have to really, really be in the mood for a pizza.
Image: Aurelien Lemasson/ Unsplash
If you could eat just three dishes for the rest of your life, what would they be?
A sandwich! Done well, you can’t beat it! Lasagne (my mum’s of course), and green papaya salad.
What would be on the menu for your perfect last supper?
This really could change all the time. I go through phases where I’ll eat the same thing for months and then move on to something else! But right now: a proper Caesar salad, really cold and no scrimping on the anchovies. Prawn and chicken pad Thai, and then a cheese board for dessert! A weird combo, but all things I’m loving right now.
FAQs: Ruth Hansom
Where has Ruth Hansom worked during her career?
Ruth trained at The Ritz under executive chef John Williams before going on to work in leading London kitchens, including as head chef at The Princess of Shoreditch, where she earned three AA Rosettes. She now runs Hansom Restaurant & Wine Bar in Bedale, North Yorkshire.
Where is Ruth Hansom’s restaurant?
Hansom Restaurant & Wine Bar is in the North Yorkshire market town of Bedale. Ruth opened it with her husband Mark in 2024.
Where did Ruth Hansom train as a chef?
After moving to London at 16 to study at Westminster Kingsway College, Ruth joined the Royal Academy of Culinary Arts apprenticeship at The Ritz, where she trained under executive chef John Williams.
What style of food does Ruth Hansom cook?
Ruth’s cooking is rooted in classical technique, seasonality and carefully sourced produce, drawing on the skills she developed during her early training at The Ritz.
