The life of a Michelin-starred chef is undeniably a stressful one, and no doubt many pause ... more
from time to time in the frenzy of the kitchen or the worry of the office to ask themselves if it's really all worth it. John Burton Race, who had clocked up two stars, had such a moment. He saw the business side of a highly successful restaurant taking over and himself losing contact with what had drawn him into cooking in the first place--food and its preparation. Following this epiphany (one might call it a naked-lunch moment, when, as William Burroughs remarked, you really see what's on the end of your fork) he determined to return to his roots, take a sabbatical and write a book about the pleasures of good, simple food. French Leave is the result. French because Race ambitiously decided that France was the best place to conduct his research and accordingly took his entire family (wife, six children and, eventually, Labrador puppy) with him. French leave is both a cookbook and a narrative of the we-survived-a-year-in-rural-France type so popular since that leathery old bellwether Peter Mayle first showed the way. The recipes are excellent--good, plain, traditional French eating, arranged seasonally, with classics such as Cassoulet, Confit of Duck and Daube de Boeuf featuring. There's practically nothing here that you won't find in books stretching all the way back to Elizabeth David and beyond, but it's very useful to have such a collection curated by a skilled and enthusiastic chef. The narrative parts of the book are somewhat mixed: when Race is talking to food producers and cooks of the Aude, his chosen region in the south-west of the country, he is fascinating and clearly enthralled. These are people with a profound love and respect for food, and Race is good at communicating this and demonstrating why quality is important. It's less easy to see why he chose to include so much about his family--quarrels, grumpy love-sick teenagers, school plays and so on--who probably won't thank him. And strangely, there's no mention whatsoever of the television crew, who must have been around quite a lot filming for the accompanying series. --Robin Davidson
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Advantages: Large range of cheap smart clothes Disadvantages: none
Burtons is just the sort of place I always seem to end up in when I go shopping. Its not that I really buy that much stuff there (I'm a bit scruffy most of the time), but just being there is something you have to do.
The shop has a very classy image when compared to others in the high street. They sell some real quality clothes at some very reasonable prices. If I was to be buying anything at all smart, I'd always head straight for Burtons.
I bought a suit there this year, and the staff were very helpful. After just a second of looking through their stock, a woman approached me to see if she could help. I obviously did need a bit of help because I hadn't needed a nice suit before. She took all the necessary measurements and I was actually out of the shop again fairly quickly. I also bought some shirts, ties and a pair ...
BJEEE 23.12.2000
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Burton (Shop)
Advantages: Stores bright & good layout, friendly staff, wide choice Disadvantages: Sometimes it's worth waiting for the sales!
::::INTRODUCTION::::
Burton is part of the Arcadia Retail group, which has many fashion retailers such as TopMan and the rest are women's like TopShop, Dorethy Perkins, Wallis, Evans and Miss Selfridge.
The first store was opened in 1903 by Montague Burton, after borrowing £100 from a relitave to open the cross-tailoring company in Chesterfield.
His aim was "Good clothes for a mans self-respect".
This continues today with modern and stylish clothing with usually a dedicated suit area in the store and a good selection of footwear and accessories.
::::HISTORY::::
At the start of World War 1 Burton changed to start producing Armed Forces uniforms' instead of suits. These unfiroms made by Burton clothed nearly a quarter of all service men and women during The Great War.
Mr Burton recieved a Knight-hood in 1931 for his efforts in ...
SuperDude13 04.01.2009
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Burton (Shop)
Advantages: Good selections Disadvantages: Not well laid out in shop
Since fashion became something to be more conscious about for me, (few years ago) I thought it would be a good idea to make sure I knew what the different Men’s stores around my local area were like.
Burtons is quite an established store, for men only, (although my mum does go in when she's looking for my Christmas presents etc) and does offer quite a good range in the latest fashions. It has a good selection of Jeans, both its own brand, and other brands like Wrangler. The casual wear continues with T-shirts and jumpers, all quite suitable for the young men of today to wear out on the streets.
Burtons also has a good selection of clothes for going out in. The selection of shirts is good, quite a wide range from the near-Hawaiian shirts for the summer, to the long sleeved cotton shirts. The smart trousers aren't of the best ...
danradders 06.01.2001
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Ciao members have rated this review on average: very helpful Review of Burton (Shop)
![John-Burton Race [DVD] [2007]](http://picnica.ciao.com/uk/78072916.jpg "John-Burton Race [DVD] [2007]")
