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The history of Moffat

Posted by Michael Tough on November 4 2019 at 15:33

Fancy learning some interesting facts on Moffat?

Moffat is famous for having the waterfall ‘The Grey Mairs Tail’ which is the fifth highest waterfall in the Uk. With Loch Skene at the top it is a popular tourist attraction for many groups of walkers and is a lovely picnic spot if us locals fancy getting out of the town on a summers day.
Moffat has the worlds narrowest hotel, The Famous Star Hotel which was previously mentioned in the Guinnes Book Of Records. The hotel is only 20ft wide and 162ft long. Featuring a bar downstairs and 2 eating areas it is a nice stopping point for a bar meal. They are also dog friendly!
The Moffat Ram is a famous tourist attraction and represents the towns connection to the sheep trade. The sheep was unfortunately sculpted with no ears, something that William Brodie never knew about until it was unveiled. He later committed suicide after the burden of this was too much.
Moffat is also famous for its annual Classic Car Rally which takes place at the Moffat Showground. Showcasing vintage cars, it can have up to 900 entries over the two days. It is now into its 21^st year and is still as popular as ever.
Let’s not forget about the famous Devils Beef Tub which sits below the Edinburgh Road. The tub is formed by four hills; Great Hill, Peat Knowe, Annanhead Hill and Ericstane Hill. It was used to hide stolen cattle as there was only one way in and out. This can be seen from the Edinburgh Road and is a popular attraction for walkers.
Moffat Toffee Shop is a family run business originally ‘Mrs Blacklocks’ which opened its doors 125 years ago. Moffat Toffee is a definite must when visiting Moffat and you especially need to try their home-made toffee, which is sometimes sweet and sometimes sour. A favourite with the kids!
September also marks the anniversary of Battle of Britain. Air Chief Marshall Lord Dowding was one of those responsible for helping to win the battle. He was born here in Moffat and every year there is a service down at Station Park to commemorate his death and the Victory of the Battle.
Up until the year 2018, Moffat held an annual sheep race which was proven to be a popular day out for the family. Unfortunately, due to licensing issues it was cancelled. A similar event was held this year, only participants dressed up as sheep raced rather than sheep themselves.
The Moffat Mill, part of the Edinburgh Woolen mill branch, is a popular destination for bus tours and groups to stop off. With tartan, whiskey and highland dress inside its very popular to do some Christmas shopping.
The Town Hall, now a popular wedding and party venue, was once the towns bath halls. The water was piped down from the famous Moffat Wells which was said to contain ‘healing properties.
And finally, the famous Moffat Chippy. Formerly known at ‘Toosh’s chippy’ which was a family run chippy. Bettina Dawson was the owner and she was always found behind the fryers. The 90-year-old, who was the oldest fryer in the world was awarded the B.E.M medal but unfortunately passed away before getting the chance to meet the Queen at Buckingham palace in the July.

Out and about Friday 1st November

Posted by Site administrator on November 1 2019 at 10:25

We currently have 55 chefs out working all over Scotland and North England. We have 15 jobs confirmed so far for the week.

Can all chefs doing relief work make sure they have emailed over their hygiene certificates you can send them to jojo@chefsinscotland.co.uk

Can I also ask that you let me know if you are happy to work Christmas and New Year (double time is payable both days)

Relief work coming in, in November will be quieter as expected for the time of year.

Here are some of the chefs we have out working at the moment

Barry Owen finishes his stint at Culcreuch Castle today and then is off to Airds Hotel

Kevin Berry is at The Lerwick Hotel in Shetland

Dougie Gillies is at The Ben Loyal Hotel finishing off the season

Julius Mwanbula is at the Waterside Inn in Peterhead

Philippe Alamichel is at Perth Race Course

James Pratt is finishing at the Isles Inn mid November then off to the Fishmarket at Soul in Aberdeen

Ionel Rizea is still at the Black Bull in Gartmore

Sebastian Luszczynski and Kaspars Lapins are both at The Kingsmills Hotel in Inverness

James McPherson is at Isle Ornsay Hotel in Skye

Sarah Galloway finished yesterday at Toravaig Hotel in Skye

Ross Hunter is finishing at The Bridge of Cally Hotel

Thanks to all our chefs for your hard work and support 😊

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Monday 28th October

Posted on October 28 2019 at 12:32

Monday 28^th October

That is me now back in the office after being off on annual leave for a week. I spent my week with my partner in Marmaris, Turkey at the Golden Rock Beach Hotel and it was nice to take some time off to re-charge the batteries.

We enjoyed a boat trip out to a few of the smaller local islands and ate down at the Marina twice where we enjoyed some delicious fresh seafood. We were able to pick our own prawns and mussels and they were cooked to our liking; prawns in a garlic and chilli butter and the mussels were cooked in a white wine and cream sauce. We were given our own private balcony to enjoy our meal which was a nice touch with a view over the Marina.

The weather was hot, around 27-30 degrees most days, a cold week according to the locals. We had our hottest day on the Thursday that just sat above 30. Our hotel had a private beach which we preferred to the pool area and the sea was very calm and warm. We were all inclusive so enjoyed a buffet breakfast and lunch and we ate dinner in the hotel a few nights. They had a rotisserie area available most nights and some fresh seafood too but it can get repetitive eating in every night.

We walked along the beach front most nights as that was where most of the bars and restaurants were. Still rather warm in the evenings with hardly any breeze. The locals were friendly as were all the hotel staff which certainly makes your holiday more enjoyable.

We would definitely go back to our hotel as it was central to where we wanted to be, clean and the weather was great, despite it being October.

Now that our holiday is over, its time to focus on the next big event… Christmas! Dare I say it.

Jade Porteous

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Out and about Friday 25th November

Posted on October 25 2019 at 09:13

We currently have 64 relief chefs out working.

The availability of relief chefs is very good, the jobs coming in are slowing down and this is expected for the time of year.

We have been getting some bookings for over the festive period, if you are available to work please get in touch.

We are keen to meet chefs here in Moffat and we are available Tuesday to Friday just get in touch to check our availability.

We have been getting lots of CV’s sent out this week.

Jade will be back to work on Monday after having a lovely week off in the sun.

Here are some of the chefs we have out at the moment

David Carroll is at The Craig Manor Hotel in Windermere

Tomi Burns was at The Gathering Place Bistro in Braemar

Shaun Murray is just starting at Thainstone Events in Inverurie

Brian Ferguson is back at Inverlochy Castle

Craig Morris is at The Golf View Hotel in Nairn

Alan Roberts is at Leapark Hotel

Stuart Sullivan and Gian Devey are both at The Scores Hotel in St Andrews

Stephen Mcculloch is in Shetland at the Brae Hotel

Marc Wohner was at Auchen Castle

Richard Gunn, Jo Fenner and Andy Westwood are all at The Kings House Hotel in Glencoe

Alan Macpherson is at the Golf View Hotel in Nairn

To all of our relief chefs thanks for all your hard work and continued support 😊

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What makes a job attractive?

Posted on October 24 2019 at 09:15

Here are some things that might help to attract applicants:

Can you pay an hourly rate of pay?
Can you pay weekly even if the payslip is monthly?
What is the accommodation and is there any charge? Is there wi-fi available?
What makes the job attractive/what is there to do during time off?
What are the shifts and how many hours are they expected to work per week, any evenings off?
Are there tips given to the chef?
Are meals provided on duty?
is there a staff uniform provided or is the chef expected to provide their own?
Is there a bonus scheme in place?
Discounts at other hotels?
Is any time off allowed during busy periods like festive period and summer season?
Can you pay overtime?

Bonus suggestions for head chefs

wages ratio
compliancy on health and safety
gross profit margin

Opening Stock plus purchases - closing stock = cost of goods sold

to work out Gross Profit %

(Sales - Cost of goods Sold) divided by Sales = then multiply by 100 to get the Gross Profit %

Eg:

(100 - 30) = 70 divided by 100 = .7 x 100 = 70%

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