Chef Revelations – Laurie Gear, chef-patron, The Artichoke, Amersham
What do you normally have for breakfast?
A good cup of coffee. But when I am off I love a full English breakfast.
What do you do to relax?
When I can get there, I go to the gym
What's your favourite restaurant?
Alyn Williams at the Westbury, London
What's your favourite hotel?
Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat'Saisons, Oxfordshire, for luxury, and the Pig in the New Forest for a more chilled-out stay
What's your favourite drink?
A good glass of Burgundy
Which ingredient do you hate the most?
Anything foraged that either has no taste or tastes terrible, yet is still put on the plate!
Which person in catering have you most admired?
Which person gave you the greatest inspiration?
My wife Jacqueline
What's your favourite food?
I was born by the sea, so it has to be seafood
Who would play you in a film about your life?
Tim Roth
If not yourself, who would you rather have been?
That chap that won the Euromillions the other week
If you hadn't gone into catering, where do you think you'd be now?
In the Royal Marines
What's your favourite film?
Zulu
Tell us a secret…
My brother Alex once held the world record for walking backwards
What's your favourite prepared product?
Filo pastry
What would be your last supper?
A simply cooked lobster from my home town of Lyme Regis, a few salad leaves, a little mayonnaise, crusty bread and a bottle of chilled white wine
Who would be in your fantasy brigade?
Alyn Williams (Alyn Williams at the Westbury) on sauce; Francis Atkins (Yorke Arms) and James Knapett (Bubbledogs/Kitchen Table) on larder; Russell Bateman (Colette's at the Grove ) and Marcello Tully (Kinloch Lodge Isle of Skye) on garnish; Roger Pizey (Marco Grill, Stamford Bridge) on pastry; and my sous chef Ben Jenkins on the pass.