i. Biography
Coming Up
The recognition Laurie Gear has earned was accumulated service by service, kitchen by kitchen, rather than in one sudden break. Modern British food is the line that holds the work together: inventive cooking, refined in execution and kept in step with seasonality. That approach has been carried through Artichoke, where Gear has worked as proprietor-chef and co-owner since 2002, with the steadiness of a long-running hand rather than a passing name. Training at College in Weymouth set the base, but the early record is the more instructive part of the craft. Gear began as a dishwasher at local Dorset hotel in Dorset, where the work starts with repetition, pace and service discipline. He moved on to Mariners Hotel in Lyme Regis as kitchen worker, then to Combe House in Gittisham as chef, and later to Gee's Brasserie in Oxford. Each step added range without changing the underlying requirement: keep moving, keep learning, keep the standard. A further stint as caterer at Pinewood Studios brought the work into a different kind of production, where timing and precision sit alongside the need to deliver under pressure. Since 2002, Gear has been proprietor-chef and co-owner of Artichoke, which means the kitchen, the dining room and the business all sit under the same accountability.
Where They Are Now
The current role combines proprietor-chef with co-owner, and that combination gives Artichoke a clear internal logic. The cooking and the stewardship of the business are not separated, so the standards of the kitchen and the shape of the restaurant are aligned. In practical terms, it places Gear at the center of both the food and the way the house is run. Modern British food remains the signature. On the plate, that means inventive, refined cooking with seasonality as the organising principle. Rather than being built around a fixed set of effects, the work is tied to British produce and the timing of the year, which keeps the menu responsive to what is in front of the kitchen. The register is contemporary, but the discipline is traditional: clear sourcing, careful execution, no excess. Gear is the operator cooking under the same name above the door, so the standards, tone and continuity of Artichoke reflect a sustained practice over time. In a trade that often changes direction quickly, that kind of ownership reads as conviction.
Signature
Laurie Gear works in Modern British food. The style is defined by seasonality, precision and restraint, and it is the through-line from his early kitchen posts to his present work at Artichoke.
Honors
Laurie's honors include AA Restaurant of the Year for England (2013), Best New Entry (2011), Rising Star (2011), and UK Best Dish (2007).
Profile updated August 2026
FAQ
Asked of Laurie
What is Laurie Gear's current role?
Laurie Gear is Proprietor-Chef.
Where did Laurie Gear train or study?
Laurie Gear trained at College in Weymouth.
What recognition has Laurie Gear received?
AA Restaurant of the Year for England (2013).