FIRST IMPRESSIONS: JOHN BURTON -RACE
What are you working on at the moment?
I’ve just formed a company, Two Grumpy Chefs, with a friend of mine. We plan to go into people’s houses and do upmarket dinner parties, or cocktail parties on a plane, on a yacht... I hope it works.
When are you at your happiest?
Definitely cooking. I go into a different zone.
What is your greatest fear?
When I was younger it was failure. Now my fear is that I can’t provide for my children or they can’t achieve what they need to achieve.
What is your earliest memory?
I was born in the Far East so one of my earliest memories was bamboo spear fishing on the rice paddies in Bandung in Indonesia when I was about five or six.
What do you most dislike about yourself?
I am very impatient. I have great plans and they all have to be done yesterday.
Who has been your greatest influence?
In terms of individuals, Raymond Blanc would be my biggest influence. Otherwise I have taken a lot of influence from going to France two times a year since I was 17.
What is your most treasured possession?
Some friends of mine gave me a painting of my last horse as a 50th birthday present and that touched me. I’m not Mr Bling, so I haven’t got anything that stacks up, but I’ve got some really fun memories.
What trait do you most deplore in others?
Laziness. I can’t stand it.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
We’re all getting older. I haven’t got a beer gut because I don’t drink beer, but I definitely have a wine gut.
What is your favourite book?
Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks. I’ve read half a dozen of his books and I like them.
What is your favourite film?
A Good Year.
John enjoys books by Sebastian Faulks, food at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Disclosure and horses
What is your favourite record or piece of music?
I love music. A band that I’m really impressed with is Disclosure.
What is your favourite meal?
The last favourite meal I had was at my favourite hotel in France called Crillon le Brave. Or anything from Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons.
Who would you most like to come to dinner?
Lewis Hamilton, Winston Churchill, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, and Jack Nowell.
What is the nastiest thing anyone has said to you?
There was a food critic who insinuated I was a racist. It made me so angry I could have screamed.
Do you believe in aliens?
I’ve met several.
What is your secret vice?
Burgundies.
Do you write thank-you notes?
My wife is very good at that, as is my business partner, so they do it for me.
Which phrase do you most overuse?
I don’t know. If my wife was here she’d tell you.
What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
More money would help.
Tell us one thing people don’t know about you.
I love horses.
What would you like your epitaph to read?
I’d like to have been recognised for achieving something in my own profession.
Two Grumpy Chefs – Two Chefs, Two Michelin Stars, Sixty Years of Experience: 07792-617028, www.twogrumpychefs.com
I’ve just formed a company, Two Grumpy Chefs, with a friend of mine. We plan to go into people’s houses and do upmarket dinner parties, or cocktail parties on a plane, on a yacht... I hope it works.
When are you at your happiest?
Definitely cooking. I go into a different zone.
What is your greatest fear?
When I was younger it was failure. Now my fear is that I can’t provide for my children or they can’t achieve what they need to achieve.
What is your earliest memory?
I was born in the Far East so one of my earliest memories was bamboo spear fishing on the rice paddies in Bandung in Indonesia when I was about five or six.
What do you most dislike about yourself?
I am very impatient. I have great plans and they all have to be done yesterday.
Who has been your greatest influence?
In terms of individuals, Raymond Blanc would be my biggest influence. Otherwise I have taken a lot of influence from going to France two times a year since I was 17.
What is your most treasured possession?
Some friends of mine gave me a painting of my last horse as a 50th birthday present and that touched me. I’m not Mr Bling, so I haven’t got anything that stacks up, but I’ve got some really fun memories.
What trait do you most deplore in others?
Laziness. I can’t stand it.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
We’re all getting older. I haven’t got a beer gut because I don’t drink beer, but I definitely have a wine gut.
What is your favourite book?
Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks. I’ve read half a dozen of his books and I like them.
What is your favourite film?
A Good Year.
John enjoys books by Sebastian Faulks, food at Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons, Disclosure and horsesWhat is your favourite record or piece of music?
I love music. A band that I’m really impressed with is Disclosure.
What is your favourite meal?
The last favourite meal I had was at my favourite hotel in France called Crillon le Brave. Or anything from Belmond Le Manoir aux Quat’Saisons.
Who would you most like to come to dinner?
Lewis Hamilton, Winston Churchill, Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, and Jack Nowell.
What is the nastiest thing anyone has said to you?
There was a food critic who insinuated I was a racist. It made me so angry I could have screamed.
Do you believe in aliens?
I’ve met several.
What is your secret vice?
Burgundies.
Do you write thank-you notes?
My wife is very good at that, as is my business partner, so they do it for me.
Which phrase do you most overuse?
I don’t know. If my wife was here she’d tell you.
What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
More money would help.
Tell us one thing people don’t know about you.
I love horses.
What would you like your epitaph to read?
I’d like to have been recognised for achieving something in my own profession.
Two Grumpy Chefs – Two Chefs, Two Michelin Stars, Sixty Years of Experience: 07792-617028, www.twogrumpychefs.com