Holiday House in Crocketford is available from 25th September for £150 per week special rates to users of Chefs In Scotland.
Two bedrooms, living room with multi fuel burner, dining room and modern kitchen and nice back garden.
Nine miles from Dumfries and close to shop and local hotel (next door to both)
A great place for a relaxing break. To book please email Michael@chefsinscotland.co.uk with dates required. minimum booking is five days.
Thursday 24th August 2014
Business remains brisk and after a couple of mid- season set-backs, we have a new computer server in place to replace the one which died three weeks ago.
We have a new man working in the team on a full time basis.
Dean Aitken is 26 and is from Dumfries, a Queen of the South Supporter, who has recently completed his degree at the University of Glasgow, Crichton Campus, whilst working his way up to a managerial position at MacDonalds, where he has worked for a total of 8 years. Fingers crossed!
2014 is the 15th successive year when Chefs In Scotland has remained open without shutting for any week’s holidays and perhaps missed two or three afternoons over that period.
We are hopeful that we can continue to build upon that platform of stability and grow the business and improve over the coming months and years.
Johanna Watson and Dean are first port of call in the office.
Chefs In Scotland Golf competition.
We are holding our annual golf competition on Saturday the 11th of October and will be getting the invites out shortly.
Chefs In Scotland Holiday Cottage Crocketford.
We have some good availability from September for the lovely two bedroom oil central heating wood burner cottage with a nice back garden. Happy to give any chefs on our books 25% discount. Anyone seriously interested drop an email to Michael@chefsinscotland.co.uk
Out and About
We have had a few fall downs over the month of September which is normal for the time of the year on relief, our year on year completion record remains at over 90%. If somebody does fail to complete a job or “does a runner” to use the technical term, there is a likelihood that we may not be able to offer them future work.
Positives
Pawel Halicki has been excellent this year and has completed a very good long stint at The Lodge at Carfraemill with good well known Scottish head chef Eddie McDermott. Many thanks Pawel who has been over working in Scotland for many years now and hopefully enjoying the Scottish scenery.
Jason Keenan has done quite a tour of Scotland in the last year, first up over in Montrose where he stayed for a couple of months on relief, then over to Arran where again he stayed for well over the initial booked stint. Inveraray and then a month up on Skye, well done and thanks Jason who has gained a grading of 1.
David Ironside is over working on Arran at Kinloch, asked back for a second year after completing a good (but not terminal) stint in Broxburn Care home. Still due you a pint David.
We are getting a few other of our well established guys and girls on relief taking up Disclosure Scotland which is a useful ticket for care homes.
Ian Barron is working over in Dumfries at The Cairndale, again doing very well in only his second job, the first being a six month or so stint on Arran at Auchrannie. A good, solid reliable chef as befits one who held down the same permanent job for twenty plus years, which takes some doing.
Julie Menzies into Gartmore House in the middle of July has had her contract extended for a three month stint and is by all accounts enjoying the work, well done Julie and many thanks.
Most of the above apart from Pawel are based in Kirkcudbright.
Adverts are continuing to be constant, we are up to 15 for the week with new boy Dean getting 7 so far with a day and a half of the week to go.
Permanent recruitment is changing slightly as the season moves well past the mid-way mark and the availability of chefs becomes a little better.
Many thanks for your continued support and patience
Michael in Moffat
Wednesday 30th July
A quiet morning.
Bentley the Basset Hound is walked and I am at my desk for just before 8.30am.
Notes are made for Johanna for the day, relief is still tight and we advise that availability is poor from now until middle of August at which point there are a few chefs coming available. So far at 12.15 Johanna has knocked out three relief jobs.
Tomorrow is also the month end which entails statements being produced, again Johanna is working at that along with our invoices man Ian who comes in a few evenings a week and I am owe at fiver to having borrowed said money from him last night at the local Proudfoot Club where we had a committee meeting. In my defence I did buy him a can of cider and myself a nice bunnahabhain malt whisky for a snip at £2. I drank it with ice as is my wont.
The production of invoices, credit control and monthly statements plays a reasonable part of our business. We are fortunate that our accountant looks after payroll which is mainly for those in the office and some chefs at a quarry over by Oban who are on our payroll also for some reason!
Notes are then made for Callum Graham, our seasonal summer helper who has stayed on quite a long time whilst we recruit for a chef recruiter to make up our team again. Callum downloads applicants for a variety of jobs, I check them with him, he answers the busy phones, calls chefs re jobs and spends a good time taking references. He is also setting us up on Skype as we move steadily into the 21st century.
The relief database is checked.
The Chefs In Scotland bank account is checked and corresponding invoices are marked as paid with luck in our exel spreadsheet. Sometimes the amounts paid do not quite match the amount on the spreadsheet. Hey Ho.
The Stock Exchange is checked to see how the small portfolio of shares is doing today.
Anglo American, Berkeley Mineral Resources, Infinis, Iomart, RBS, William Hill (from whose website I am self-banned) and Vodafone.
Emails are done, accounts email them my own email to reply and make appropriate plan of action.
Print and update daily vacancies. These are the permanent jobs that we are proactively looking for fill. Three copies, one for each of us in the kitchen.
Plan of action for the day.
This involves today writing a brief letter for the lady who is going to stay at the Chefs In Scotland Cottage from Friday with her husband and two dogs, over in Crocketford on the other side of Dumfries.
Chasing up chefs regarding interviews and doing a search for a job which we have been asked to look for at Baxters In Fochabers over by Aberdeen, result so far is one candidate submitted with two references. A 27 year old man who is ready and available for work.
Next up is a bowl of home-made lentil soup and start working on our current quarter’s turnover which will be complete as of 5pm tomorrow. 4 people are tied in to bonuses on that. I like arithmetic.
All in all a quiet life.
��`�D&r�X�?Thursday 24th July 2014
Any issues with not being paid for a permanent or relief job, we will, time permitting call up on your behalf once but if that doesn’t get any joy the answer is:
Conform with ACAS Policy
1 call the establishment and ask them politely to make correct payment get holiday paid etc.
2. Put in writing to the establishment and send a letter recorded delivery asking for holiday pay payslips etc.
3. then call ACAS and give them all details and they will deal with it on your behalf.
0808 274 3311
Chefs In Scotland will not reply to questions on facebook. We can take details over the phone and put them on our “Chefs not paid” form but onus is on you to go through the appropriate procedures.
Elsewhere
We are kept on the go. Our server has packed in this week and whilst we wait a new one and get that sorted out we are curtailing the services that we can offer to relief and adverts only.
I finished up in the office yesterday afternoon at 4pm and headed over to Crocketford to help get the cottage ready for the booking this Friday. The lawn mower packed in and strimming was done until the wire became too short at which point I drove to Castle Douglas and got some new wire and a take away curry from Tescos (two sides and two mains for £6) and carried on cutting the grass and then into the kitchen where I took pleasure in washing the dishes and cleaning the fridges and cupboards. Brushing the small floor and sitting down with the main cleaner Angela whilst she had a smoke out the back. We got the cottage ready by just before ten pm and I drove back over to Moffat in time to meet Bentley the Basset who was barking in the dark.
Ian Paul who stays over in Dundanion House had kindly agreed to take him out about seven pm and he was pleased to see me.
Moving forward
We set our stall out this year and increasing turnover by 20% and the first measured quarter we hit the dizzy heights of 46% up on last year. The second quarter is going to come in at about 22% up.
We are trying to ease up as we move into August (phones permitting) and try and get our new server in place and get that side of things sorted and look to take on some new CIS help in the office. Callum Graham from Moffat has been a great summer helper but is looking for full-time work up in the central belt.
Mark Wildman is back up in the Highlands cooking in a kitchen and no doubt enjoying some of the music and craic of a night on the west coast and does so with our good wishes.
Johanna is back from any time off at the Moffat Gala and is knocking out relief jobs the length and breadth of the country.
Andy Mill had a suspected heart attack and we wish him a full and speedy recovery.
Richard Booth “Jimmy Ping himself” is working up in Tongue and has a 100% success rate this year on relief. Thanks Richard.
Patrick Pohly is with Crerar Hotels down at Scotlands and now up at Ben Wyvis Hotel.
Alan Kaye retains his grading of 1 and they seem to like him over in Aboyne. Many thanks Alan again.
David “Disclusure Scotland” Ironside moves from strength to strength as he helps Chefs In Scotland to diversify within the ever growing mature market. May be in line for a pint at the Masonic in Kirkcudbright and a debrief. Yes this does count as work.
Will Furlong is having a fine season with an eye on possibly becoming Disclosure Furlong himself. Many thanks Will. Nae need to be a plumber!
Roger Brown holds it together up on Shetland along with John Ferguson, Mark Bellingham and Scott Russell. Four on the island to go with a perm head at Brae Hotel.
Max Hogg is the best says, well we cannot say but he is very good when he is about. A few years down the line from being a commis in Aberfeldy.
Pawel Halicki, they have kept him on at Lauder and don’t blame them, another excellent chef who is a total credit to us and himself.
Dundee Apex, three of the men are helping out with increased business at the Commonwealth Games. Phil Smith, his mucker Alan Macpherson the excellent Michael Njoroge (silent N)
We get the occasional new trial on relief who falls at the first hurdle and sadly we cannot use them on relief again.
Bitter, no.
Many thanks for your continued support and patience
Michael in Scotland.
By Johanna Watson
Frank McDonald is over the water at the Western Isles Hotel with Head Chef Tom Devlin and getting on well.
Steve Moffat has finished up at The Rowardennan Hotel and is booked to go back up to Peterhead at The Waterside Inn with Will Furlong.
Scott Galloway still working away at The Cross in Kingussie.
Stuart MacColl will be finishing his 2 week stint over in Palnackie at the Glenisle and is the going up to Kintail Lodge for 4 days and then back down to the Borders for a 3 week stint at The Townhouse in Melrose.
Scott Russell will be into his 2nd – 3rd week up on Shetland at the Brae Hotel.
Stephen Findlay is currently out at The Burnside Hotel in Rutherglen then off to help at West Brewery at Glasgow Green.
Crawford Campbell with be finishing his 3 week stint at Crusoe Hotel and is awaiting his next mission.
Craig Williamson has joined the relief circuit and getting on very well at his first job over at the Loch Melfort Hotel near Oban.
Relief is still very busy and we have around 60 chefs out working all over Scotland and Cumbria
Thanks again for your continued support
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