Eriska, Scottish Island

Future Chef

This week both Robert our head chef and Noel our sous chef spent a morning at Oban High School working with a calls of 20 students as part of the Future Chef competition. The competition is organized by Springboard UK and starts with local schools running heats to choose the most suitable candidates to move forward to the area finals. The winners of this final will then represent their region at the country final and then the best in Scotland will compete against the other nations in London.

It is not only a fantastic opportunity for the children but also a great chance for the industry to inspire and enthuse the youngsters to join the industry. It is also a great opportunity for the staff from the industry to see what goes on in schools and see how things have changed since they left school. It is all very well for us to criticize the standards of the students who apply for jobs with us however having seen the conditions and the levels off the teaching we can all sympathize. it is very easy when you are working in the catering industry on a full time business to forget that students only deal with this subject on both a part time and limited basis.

However by Robert and Noel spending time with the school it helps the school and staff liaise with the industry and helps them understand the expectations of the industry and also in return it allows the industry to see the hard work the education system are putting in within the tough constraints that they operate. It was however good when Robert returned to hear from both he and Noel on how the day had gone. they both were on delighted by the enthusiasm of both the staff and students and both also proud of the two students they had chosen to move froward to the next round. As always it is the taking part and not the winning which is the key but try telling those that nearly made it.

Farewell Olive

Last night saw a sad farewell to two favorites among the Eriska staff. Firstly Mike the night porter is leaving us to move to Jura to be closer to his new grandchildren. Mike joined Eriska a couple of years ago and became a fixture working every second week looking after the guests. Mike was never short of a view or comment and tried hard to indoctrinate many of our guest with his views which often changed from night to night but were never brief or succinct.

He made many friends among the guests but his best friend has chosen to leave with him. Olive joined the Eriska staff last year and worked on the estate insuring that the feed sheds and fertilizer stores were all kept in order. Over the winter however she gained promotion and also moved on to work nights. Here she met mike and they immediately struck up a relationship, it all seemed the purrfect match with her sitting on the steps at mikes feet gazing up into his eyes listening ever intently to his stories in return for a small shot from the bar. She left her accommodation and began to live with Mikes other night time visitors, Bertie and Brock in their simple underground abode and worked constantly throughout the summer often without a night off.

However her demands have increased and she has become one of the greatest consumers at the bar after dinner so it was not surprising that when Mike told us he was leaving Olives resignation was not far behind. Both will be missed but we wish them well on Jura.

The picture shows them leaving this morning.

Pride of Britains future

Every year about this time the board of the marketing consortium Pride of Britain hotels of which we are a member meet for a two day strategy meeting. In reality this has turned into an in depth board meeting concentrating on one topic as the main discussion point. This year however our chairman Paul Milsom decided to return the meeting to a strategy meeting on day one and then a board meeting on day two. In  truth we were all a bit skeptical especially when he announced that he had engaged a facilitator to run the first days discussion.

He enthusiastically set about preparing for the day and we all duly arrived and took our places. The facilitator was introduced and the parameters of the day were set. Already the jargon was beginning to flow and some of the board members began to shuffle papers nervously imagining the pain of a whole day of jargon and junk. However nothing could be further from the truth.

The Chairmen opened with a broad generalization that we all understood and agreed with the companies "mission statement".  There was a silence and then one member stated he did not understand it and another said he disagreed with it, the Chairmans chin hit the table but after he had recovered, a frank and open discussion ensued. Indeed all preconception were left at the door and we had, mainly because the facilitator continually returned the discussion to the topic under the microscope, an extremely productive days work. In reality also by the next day we had developed as a group the ability to remain focused on the topic under discussion and even without the guiding hand of the facilitator. Over the course of two days we managed to become focused on the future, looking at potential opportunities and developing our strengths. The much maligned facilitator had become an essential cog in the development of this thinking and we all believed we had achieved a great deal by the end of the day.

In reality all business occasionally but regularly should take a good look at itself and pick its methods apart and then rebuild it. this does not stop us from rebuilding a model extremely similar to what was in place before but it may help re justify methods and systems that are in place. It is definitely something we should start doing here at Eriska so Chay beware..

Les's weather w/c25th sept

Last week I said we would tell you a little bit about planting daffodils and tulips, so here are our words of wisdom on the subject.

Daffodils - Plant in September and October, four inches deep in beds and borders, six inches deep if planting in grass, miniature types should be planted three inches deep. All varieties can be three inches apart.

The best effect comes from planting in groups. You could also try bulbs in pots, for indoor flowering at Christmas. These are paper white, or Soleil D'or. Propagate by division after flowering.

Tulips - Plant no earlier than October or November. The miniatures should be six inches deep and the large bulbs nine inches deep. if you are planting in pots just cover the tips of the bulbs, keep them cool and dark for eight weeks, then bring them into the light. Propagate by division after flowering.

I think I also mentioned last week about collecting seeds and here at Eriska 90% of the flowers used for cutting, or to fill hanging baskets and tubs, come from seeds collected from the previous year's plants. This method can also be used with herbs and lettuce varieties.

This type of propagation is called sexual reproduction, propagation by cutting or division is called asexual reproduction (Editor's Note...you never know, this knowledge may come in handy if you're ever lucky enough to get on that millionaire programme with Chris Tarrant!)

Now back to the seeds. If you look around your garden over the next few weeks some plants may be fading or seem to have died back. This is the time to check daily, when the pods or capsules that carry the seeds start to split this means they are fully ripe.

Les usually uses an envelope for each variety, sowing them in a cool, dry, place. Some of the varieties used at Eriska using this method include: antirrhinum, dahlia, cornflower, pansies, sweet peas, sweet William, poppies, larkspur, nasturtium, gypsophila, pot marigold and many more.

It really is easy and satisfying, so what are you sat there for?

Forecast for week beginning Sunday, September 25th

Sunday - dull start, heavy rain later

Monday - wet and windy

Tuesday and Wednesday - sunny spells and showers

Thursday- wet and windy

Friday - showers, turning heavy

Saturday - sunny spells and showers

Gym Hatrick

Today Mark held the third of his weekly exercise classes, first there was the Aqua Aerobics in the swimming pool, then the Body Balance in the relaxation area and now the final piece to the puzzle the Stepping Class. When Mark set out to plan the organised part of his programme we wanted to try and offer every week something for everyone. The Aqua Gym was a chance for clients to exercise in an easier environment allowing the water to form both the resistance and the assistance in terms of strain on joints, the Body balance was a chance for clients to relax, stretch and destress and finally the Steeping class was offering the masochists the opportunity  to take part in a formal class working with others to keep fit.

All the classes have been a great success and well attended however they have also provided a great learning curve for Mark and the team at the stables as they have had to quickly assimilate knowledge to communicate the styles of the classes to guests and Mark has had to practice his routines in a new environment. Indeed when i suggested running two step classes consecutively to help alleviate the crowding he nearly had a heart attack as though I was not aware how exhausting even one session was on him.

It has also been of real benefit to to us to examine the potential for us to offer facilities and services which are not at present on offer locally to the hotel. it has also helped us develop our thoughts on the plans to create an indoor sports hall offering tennis, badminton and even circuit training. at present the planners are a little sceptically of the need for indoor facilities in the area, and the benefits of a sports hall over the impact of yet another building on Eriska. however hopefully the development of our exercise classes and the potential for the future will I hope help sway their thoughts. In the meantime at least the classes are all keeping Mark not only busy but fit!   

Ongoing Spa Saga

The saga continues.

-Having thought that we had established the source of the problem in the Spa the leak has begun again so we arranged for two gentlemen and their camera to visit. The idea was to pass the camera down the spa feed pipes until they found the leak, which we could then rectify.

However within minutes they literally hit a snag as the camera would not pass round the bends. Unperturbed they continued and as promised have isolated the problem however they only confirmed our worst fears taht it was in the most inaccessible spot.

Decision time: either we put in a new spa liner and feed it back to the plant room with new pipes and solve the problem for the future,

or we speak nicely to our friends at Jacuzzi and install a new state of the art pool separate to the current pool but daily change the water

or fill in the Spa and plant a tree!

Needles to say Chay my brother has suddenly become an avid tree planter having spent the summer demolishing the forests!!  Anyway in the meatime the spa is back in  operation and the decision is about to be made.

SLH Regional Meeting

Today I was invited to Mar Hall for the Small Luxury Hotels of the World Regional Meeting. This gave an opportunity to meet the other members of SLH in Scotland and to hear from the management company of the success of marketing campaigns over the last 12 months and the plans for the forthcoming year. SLH is very much a brand name which we all buy into. As a small property it is difficult to gain the correct exposure to a worldwide audience and therefore we believe that by associating our self with a brand name which strictly maintains its market credibility we can help spread the world.

However this can sometimes come into direct contravention to the plans of individual hotels, all decision's must be taken with the brand image in mind and often this is in the short term going to be less popular with some of the members. the Scottish contingent would naturally prefer to create their own image which would entice guests north of the border whilst the head office were keen to create a worldwide image based on the generic hotel images rather than scenery and the people.

The conversation often became quite heated with the passion from the Brand on one side and the pride of the country on the other. Sitting on the fence I could see the merits of both being patriotic for my country I also questioned whether Scotland was able to sell itself on the worldwide market alone as well as it could do in conjunction with the rest of the UK. Anyway this was the start of our SLH membership and we look forward to a long fruitful relationship.

Eriska's Eurozone

We have over the 30 years we have been at Eriska been fortunate to meet many wonderful people and many are larger than life characters. One couple who stay with us I would definitely describe as larger than life were it not that he hovers over me at well of 6'6" tall and they visit us with their dog "Penny". They had a wonderful rapport with my father throughout their visits to Eriska and were always looking for opportunities to keep him down to size with quick wit and repartee and in return my father attempted to match the conversation. Knowing how passionately British this couple were the dogs name gave my father the perfect opportunity for a continual  dig at them by calling the dog Euro and introducing her to all the guests as such much to her owners annoyance.

Indeed it was they who suggested a small retreat for dog owners to shelter from the inclement west coast weather on the odd occasion that it did not offer wall to wall sunshine, so when we opened the facility in the woods next to the croquet lawn it seemed appropriate that rather than leave it anonymous we should dedicate it or name it and immediately the name Eurozone was suggested and adopted as being in the spirit of both my father and the now long suffering "Penny"

For those who follow the politics of the European union it might be of interest to note that although the dog was happy to sit on the outside of the shelter she did not like entering it and was always glad to retreat to the main house. I just hope that this is not a sign that the basic structure is unsafe and about to collapse!!!

 

Les's weather w/c 18th Sept

Weather Forecast from Les

The saying "Nature Will Not Wait" is certainly true. You should always be thinking months ahead and with that in mind, now is the time to start planting spring bulbs. There are lots of types to choose from and this week and next we will tell you about some of the most common ones.

Crocus: Plant or pot up in late summer, for autumn flowering kinds, and in autumn, for spring flowering kinds. plant two inches deep and three inches apart, propagate by division after flowering

.

Snowdrop: Plant in autumn three inches deep and two inches apart. Propagate by dividing mature clumps after flowering.

Grape Hyacinth: Plant in autumn three inches deep and three inches apart. Propagate by division after flowering.

Remember, a little bit of effort now will reap great rewards in just a few months time, when you will be greeted with a welcome burst of colour in your garden to herald the spring.

Next week we will tell you about daffodils and tulips and also about how you can collect seeds from other plants to save you money and a trip to the garden centre.

Weather forecast for week from Sunday September 18th

Sunday - Mostly cloudy with the odd sunny spell

Monday - Wet and windy

Tuesday - Sunshine and showers

Wednesday - Bright start, but rain will spread from the west

Thursday, Friday and Saturday - Sunshine and showers.

Pilates at Eriska

This week for the first time Mark held a "Bring Balance to Life" class at the stables. The classes are to be held once a week and comprise of a selection of Yoga, Tai Chi and Pilates. We have arranged them at the request of a couple of members of the leisure club and they are open for guests also.

Whilst only a few years ago we would all have laughed a suggestion of a relaxation and stretching class out of jest we now not only consider the idea but had a good turn out. The advantage of the classes here at Eriska is the small size of each class - although some people would maybe prefer to be more anonymous and hide amongst the crowd. The first class lasted about an hour and for all taking part this was the first time that they had taken part in such an activity.  The class simply involved moving and stretching to music and concentrating on breathing techniques to help relax the body- all sounds so simple but it can end up like a game of twister without the correct instruction.

After wards a few commented on how supple Mark was and how it took them some time to warm up- the truth is that Mark warmed up before they arrived and he was just as stiff and his bones cracked just as much in the twenty minutes before the class arrived as they did for all those during the class!