FINE dining just carries on getting finer at The Artichoke, the upmarket little restaurant in Old Amersham.

Chef Laurie Gear set off on a high note when he opened the tiny eaterie in 2002 in a charming 16th-century building.

Within days, celebrity chef Jean-Christophe Novelli, who lived locally, dropped in for a meal, liked what he saw, and has been a regular ever since.

It was Novelli's first port of call after escaping from Hell's Kitchen on TV earlier this year. Other diners have come every single week since The Artichoke opened.

So what's the appeal? The food. It's exquisite.

We were lured along this week after learning that Laurie has introduced a set lunch menu. He says: "We'd like to introduce what we are doing to a wider clientele, and a reasonably priced set lunch menu is a good way for people to get a taste of The Artichoke."

They won't find the rather tame dishes you sometimes get on set menus. Think foie gras, escabeche of red mullet, home smoked salmon, thyme ice cream... You really do get some luxury for your £18.50 for two elegantly sized courses, or £22.50 for three (plus service charge).

So: starter. Should it be lobster bisque, bramley apple tart with seared foie gras, or escabeche of red mullet with confit of sweet red pepper and mussel beignet?

It had to be the apple tart and foie gras simply for its novelty value. And yes, it was as full of surprises as a Christmas cracker. The apples had been sauted in Somerset apple brandy, the pastry was crispy, the foie gras melt-in-the-mouth luscious, the balsamic drizzle giving a neat savoury edge.

Slow roasted belly of pork with herb gnocchi sounded great, as did the pappardelle pasta, but I chose calves liver with beetroot (tiny ones roasted) and mash (made startlingly good with pancetta and sage). A traditional dish given star treatment.

Some people, I'm told, wend their way to The Artichoke purely to sample the cheeseboard, which is lovingly assembled with 30 or 40 unusual cheeses from Britain, France, buffalo from Spain and goodness knows where else. It was tempting to try, but so was the pecan tart. In the end I chose baked peaches with thyme ice cream, which was simply gorgeous on a summer's day.

Laurie prides himself on sourcing the best of everything (langoustine and hand-picked scallops flown down from the Isle of Skye, for example), and the peach was perfect. The ice cream was indulgence in a pretty dish.

He also gave me a taster of his fruit sorbets (like everything else, made on the premises) and they captured all the vibrant flavours of summer fruits.

Perhaps most memorable of all was the goats cheese and walnut bread roll we nibbled at on arrival. How can this man be an expert baker on top of all his other culinary skills?

Perhaps it's just that he's so happy in his own little restaurant. He spent some years as a chef to the stars, directors and actors at Pinewood Studios, so he's used to catering to the whims of famous faces. But there's nothing like the spur to creativity that comes from having your own place.

The Artichoke has plenty of rivals for attention in Market Square, Old Amersham, being surrounded by good pubs and restaurants. But it continues to occupy its own little niche as a small (just 24-seat) restaurant which aims for the highest standard of food and service, with two AA rosettes and perhaps - who knows stars in its sights.