Jack Lury on Michelin Star Cooking, Fine Dining, Tasting Menus and Building Lury Restaurant in Hastings

What does it take to build one of Britain's most exciting independent restaurants from scratch?

In this episode of Yours for the Making, Robin Johnson sits down with Jack Lury, chef and owner of Lury Restaurant in Hastings, to explore the reality behind modern fine dining, Michelin ambitions, restaurant ownership and creative cooking.

Jack shares his unconventional journey from studying history and sociology to working in Michelin starred kitchens, private chefing, Sotheby's and eventually opening his own intimate tasting menu restaurant with his wife Izzy. He explains why he rejected toxic kitchen culture, how Sri Lankan heritage influences his food, why simplicity creates better dishes and how running a ten seat restaurant allows complete creative freedom.

They discuss restaurant design, seasonal cooking, zero waste kitchens, menu development, private dining, hospitality, craftsmanship, leadership, perfectionism and the constant pursuit of improvement. Jack also reveals why Lury Restaurant was never intended to last forever and why every creative project deserves a defined lifespan.

Key Topics Covered

• Becoming a chef without attending culinary school
• Learning in Michelin starred kitchens
• Escaping toxic hospitality culture
• Working as a private chef in London
• Cooking at Sotheby's with unlimited ingredient budgets
• Building Lury Restaurant from scratch
• Running a ten seat tasting menu restaurant
• Sri Lankan influences in modern British cooking
• Seasonal menus and ingredient driven cooking
• Fine dining without unnecessary formality
• Creativity, simplicity and refining dishes
• Zero waste restaurant operations
• Michelin Guide ambitions
• Restaurant design and creating an immersive dining experience
• Leading young hospitality teams with respect
• Why creative projects should have a lifespan

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Yours for the Making with Robin Johnson is the podcast that celebrates creativity, craftsmanship, and the art of making. Hosted by Robin Johnson — founder of Johnson Bespoke and BBC presenter on The Travelling Auctioneers, The Restorers, Woodland Workshop — this podcast dives into the stories of makers from all walks of life. From woodworkers, metal fabricators, and chefs to artists, designers, and hobbyists, each episode offers real conversations with the people behind the things we love.

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Key Moments:

00:00 From history student to professional chef and the obsession that changed Jack's career forever

01:38 Starting at the bottom in a kitchen and why every chef must master the basics before earning responsibility

06:26 Writing to thirty Michelin starred restaurants with almost no experience and landing his first opportunity

08:38 Inside Michelin kitchens, toxic workplace culture and why Jack walked away from the career he thought he wanted

14:28 Private chef work, Sotheby's and cooking with extraordinary ingredients for some of London's wealthiest clients

18:09 Building relationships that create opportunities and why networking matters more than talent alone

20:22 The hidden reality of private chefing, expensive ingredients, demanding clients and creative limitations

22:47 Fine dining burnout, sixteen hour shifts and why so many chefs leave the industry

33:30 Moving to Hastings, taking a huge financial risk and opening Lury Restaurant with almost no money

39:12 Renovating an entire restaurant on a shoestring budget with family help, determination and countless late nights

44:03 Why independent restaurants have more soul than expensive luxury venues

50:39 Inside Lury Restaurant and how a tasting menu creates a completely different dining experience

55:07 Dietary requirements, zero waste cooking and why every booking has to be carefully planned

57:00 Creating relaxed fine dining without unnecessary formality or traditional restaurant rules

01:02:51 Building dishes around the seasons and changing the menu almost every week

01:04:34 The Sri Lankan bread course that became the restaurant's signature dish

01:06:00 Finding a unique creative voice and why the best dishes often contain fewer elements

01:08:42 Weekly self critique, constant refinement and chasing small improvements every service

01:10:28 Why Lury Restaurant was designed as a project with a defined lifespan

01:11:45 Chasing a Michelin star and what that recognition would truly mean

01:15:07 Every detail matters from handmade crockery to locally commissioned artwork and bespoke aprons

01:20:09 The advice Jack would give his younger self about confidence, self respect and leaving unhealthy workplaces

01:23:25 Where to find Lury Restaurant, book a table and join the newsletter for exclusive events