Harden's survey result
Summary
“Laurie Gear and his team never fail to delight in this French fine dining establishment”: a “small and intimate” haunt in a characterful part of Old Amersham, where “the best seats are downstairs by the kitchen where you can witness how hard and skilfully the chefs work”. For many years now, the opinion has been widespread that its “impeccable” cuisine and “warm and welcoming” service were being inexplicably ignored by the tyre men, but in October 2019 Michelin finally gave way and gave it its long overdue recognition with the award of a star.
Summary
“Laurie Gear and his team never fail to delight in this French fine dining establishment”: a “small and intimate” haunt in a characterful part of Old Amersham, where “the best seats are downstairs by the kitchen where you can witness how hard and skilfully the chefs work”. For many years now, the opinion has been widespread that its “impeccable” cuisine and “warm and welcoming” service were being inexplicably ignored by the tyre men, but in October 2019 Michelin finally gave way and gave it its long overdue recognition with the award of a star.
Summary
“Why no Michelin star?” Laurie Gear’s “simply brilliant” fixture in a characterful part of Old Amersham espouses all the values the Tyre Man is supposed to hold so dear. “The tasting menu is a stunning experience” with “first class” cuisine and service highly “professional”. “The open plan kitchen is interesting to watch too”. Gripes? “It can feel a bit squeezed-in at busy times”. And “try to get a table downstairs, you’re more in the action: the upstairs room is a little quiet”.
Summary
“Perfect, perfect, perfect!” – “It’s such a surprise to find this gem nestled in Old Amersham”, and Laurie Gear’s “magnificent” establishment on a picturesque Georgian street would enjoy a much higher profile if it were not bizarrely overlooked by Michelin year-on-year. Chef/Patron Laurie Gear’s “complex cooking comes with a very deft touch”: “beautifully crafted, rich, with gorgeous accompanying wine, and delivered by staff who make you feel a million dollars”. “It is incomprehensible that it doesn’t have a star” – in fact some say “it’s worthy of two” – yet a number of fans feel that “the fact that it lacks recognition almost improves it”: “please let them keep missing out, because it keeps the place just about affordable, and we can get a table when we want!”
Owner's description
The restaurant was extended into the adjoining building in May 2011, which ironically was the scene of a devastating fire in June 2008, which forced Laurie and Jacqueline to close the Artichoke for 18 months to rebuild the property to its former 16th Century glory. The interior was designed by Fiona Johnston Parke from the Award winning Emily Todd Hunter, who combined the original features of the building with Scandinavian inspired interiors, in memory of Laurie’s time spent at Noma; with muted grey tones and accents of amethyst, which create a seamless, comfortable but stylish extension of the original building.
Now the Artichoke offers three dining areas including a Private Dining Room with its own wine cellar, the Kitchen Dining Room with an open Pass, Chefs’ Tables, and the Garden Room, with a view onto a botanical “living wall” of herbs.
Laurie’s innovative cooking showcases well sourced ingredients, changing with the seasons, using highly dedicated producers. The open kitchen with its willow resin screen offers the opportunity to experience the culinary theatre of the Pass. The collection of expressive menus include an approachable set lunch, intriguing five and six course lunch tastings and an artisan seven course tasting featuring highlights of the main menu. Dishes focus on flavour, presentation and taste combinations, often inspired by time spent with Rene Redzepi at the legendary Noma during the enforced closure.
The notable wine list features forward thinking winemakers and local ales with all tasting menus offering eclectic wine pairings, chosen by Restaurant Manager/Sommelier Matteo Scaccabarozzi, combined with the open pass and the ultimate Chefs’ tables, the Artichoke offers a unique fine dining experience.
Prices
| Availability | 2 courses | 3 courses |  |
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| Lunch | £30.00 |  |
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| Dinner | £50.00 | |
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| Cost | Availability | Courses | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Menu1 | 80.00 | Dinner only | 8 |
| Drinks |
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| Wine per bottle | £43.00 |
| Filter Coffee | £5.50 |
| Extras |
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| Bread | £5.50 |
| Service | 12.50% |
Restaurant details
Artichoke Restaurant Diner Reviews
"We continued our support for the hospitality industry on Thursday evening with a return to one of our favourite places the Artichoke restaurant in the delightful town of Amersham. It's always a pleasure to visit here as the food and service is usually to a very high standard. Our visit this time as we know was going to be a little bit different. When we arrived we were given the usual friendly welcome before being asked to sanitize our hands. Once this was done they escorted us to our table in a prime spot in front of the newly designed open kitchen where we were greeted by owner / chef Laurie who it was great to see again. All the staff were wearing face shields which although we understand it really does make it hard to hear what's being said at times. They had also spaced out the tables leaving plenty of room in between each one. Once seated the sommelier came over to ask if we'd like an aperitif so we chose to have a glass of rose sparkling wine to start the evening. Now on to the menu where there was a choice of either the six or eight course Tasting Menu or the A la Carte. Our choice as always was the eight course tasting menu. We decided not to have the wine pairing and mentioned to the sommelier that we would like to try the Spanish Albarino to which he said was a good choice and would be an excellent pairing for the menu. So now it is food time which started with a delightful Amuse Bouche of Sea Trout & Apple. Along with this came the Chiltern Black Ale Bread & Malt Vinegar Butter. This led us on to the first course of Cornish Crab with brown crab cream , tomato water & summer vegetables. So now we moved on to our next course a Courgette Flower with lincolnshire poacher , borlotti beans & nettle pesto. This was followed by the Pan Fried Foie Gras with confit bacon , cauliflower purée & blackberries that was absolutely delicious. Our fish course was a Poached Brill with basil butter , brown shrimp , coco beans & violet artichoke. So now on to the main course where there was a choice of two. So with this my wife chose the Confed Landes Poussin with girolles , cep ketchup , leeks , carrots & Foie gras. While for myself I had the Saddle of Lamb , sweetbreads spiced with ras el hanout , yoghurt , apricots & lettuce. Now it was time for the cheese course which was very interesting but the combination of flavours really did work well together. This was a Goat's Cheese Souffle with smoked pepper sorbet & truffle honey. Next to come was desserts which started with the Cambridge Cream with strawberries , buttermilk ice cream , breton sable & strawberry soup. This was followed by the Oakchurch Raspberries with white chocolate ganache , gateaux savoie , ale ice cream & green almonds. We finished with coffee & petit fours to round of the evening of excellent food from Laurie & Ben and great service especially from our waitress Alexa. I would highly recommend a visit to the fantastic restaurant. Wishing them all the best and look forward to seeing you all again soon. #SupportHospitality"
9 Market Sq, Amersham, HP7 0DF
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Opening hours
| Monday | CLOSED |
| Tuesday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 6:15 pm‑11 pm |
| Wednesday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 6:15 pm‑11 pm |
| Thursday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 6:15 pm‑11 pm |
| Friday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 6 pm‑11:30 pm |
| Saturday | 12 pm‑3 pm, 6 pm‑11:30 pm |
| Sunday | CLOSED |
