News

Out and About Friday 18th October 2019

We have 78 relief chefs out working this week, the jobs coming in are steady.

Relief work will start to tail off as we get closer to the end October.

We are happy to get chefs registered but this will be for 2020 season which will begin in March.

We are going to be meeting a lot of chefs now the winter is here. If we have not met and you would like to come to Moffat for a chat about relief or permanent work we are available Tuesday to Friday 11am or 2pm.

Jade is on annual leave so Jessica and myself will be picking up junior recruitment, answering her emails and Facebook messages.

Chefs we have out working just now:

Rosie Robertson is filling in at The Fife Arms Turriff

Lee Donaghy is at The Bridge Hotel in Buttermere

Craig Morris is at The Old Manor Hotel in Lundin Links

Ryan Williamson is at The Inveraray Inn

Steve Lyall is at Killiecrankie Hotel in Perthshire

Sean Macgregor is at the Inch Hotel in Fort Augustus

Cheryl Radwell is at Kirkcudbright Bay Hotel

Leon Edgson is at Braeval Hotel in Nairn while helping at Rocpool Reserve 2 days per week

Richard Clark and Ben Mailer are both at The Rav in St Andrews.

Thanks to ALL our relief chefs for all your hard work and support

Thursday 17th October

Thursday 17th October

As we approach the end of our third week in October and with Halloween and Christmas in sight, the work in the CIS office continues to come in. This week I have been starting to learn more about property within the CIS company. We have many properties throughout Dumfries and Galloway as well as the apartment in Spain. It is sometimes nice to take a break from Chef recruitment and focus myself on something else for a change.

Permanent jobs are still being registered and the CV’s are still coming in. There appears to be more chefs looking again as a lot of the seasonal jobs have now finished for the winter. However, with the Brexit deal hanging in the balance, many chefs who have come from abroad are now unsure of where their future stands here in the UK. We will soon see come the 31stof this month…

I will be on holiday for a week as of the end of today and will be back in the office on Monday the 28th. Jessica and Johanna will be picking up my emails and Facebook messages and will continue with the junior chef recruitment on my behalf.

Out and about Friday 11th October

We have 68 relief chefs out working all over Scotland.

Relief has been steady this week, the availability for immediate relief is still quite tight and availability from the 25th October is better.

I have counted all the chefs we have had registered this year and the total was 248.

If all relief chefs can PM, call 01683 222830 or email jojo@chefsinscotland.co.uk with your availability over the festive period please. Christmas Day and New Years day is double time.

Jessica and Jade have been getting lots of CV’s sent out, interview and trials confirmed.

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

Leon Edgson is work in 2 places he is helping 2 days per week at Rocpool Reserve and full time at Braeval Hotel.

Glenn Richards is at Platform 1864 in Tain.

Bobby Ainsworth braved the ferry up to Shetland and is at The Sumburgh Hotel.

James Avery is at Inverlochy Castle Hotel until the end of the month.

Lee Pattie is helping out at Eden Court Theatre.

Chris Rush is at Grantown on East.

Salvi Batalla is in Skye at The Duisdale Hotel.

Jo Fenner is at Auchen Castle near Moffat.

James Buckley is at Scotland’s Hotel in Pitlochry.

Alan Roberts is at The Glenburn Hotel in Rothesay.

Roddy Mackinnon is at Cawdor Tavern in Cawdor.

We appreciate all your hard work and support 😊

World Mental Health Day

Today, 10th October is World Mental Health Day. There is lots of information these days about mental health and I think there is more awareness now than there ever has been. Whilst lots of establishments are trying to be competitive with pay and think outside of the box to attract staff, one of the ways some places are doing this is by adapting work-life balance policies. According to the Mental Health Foundation, one in 6 people are experiencing current mental health issues. It seems that this can be mostly due to work-related stress which costs Britain 10.4 million working days a year.

To ensure a better work/life balance for the industry some establishments are aiming to be more flexible in their approach. This includes:

  • shorter working weeks such as 4 or even 3 and a half day weeks, a lot of the time the staff are still are working 45-50 hours per week but over a shorter period to give more down time
  • job shares for those with bigger family commitments
  • encourage health-promoting activities such as relaxation classes and allowing staff to attend support sessions during work time as if it was any other medical appointment
  • asking what days off each person prefers, not everyone wants a weekend off
  • provide rotas in advance as much as 3 months so employees know when they need to be working
  • as ensuring holidays are booked so that every employee gets some time off every 3 months to avoid burnout

Hopefully by implementing approaches like the ones mentioned, employees have more motivation and generally a better wellbeing. Is a good work life balance ever going to be something the industry can move towards?

Michelin Star awards

As the first Michelin Star has been revealed on Friday 4th October, awarded to Alchemilla in Nottingham, the remaining winners will be announced tonight at 4pm at an awards night in London.

Tonight will mark the publication of the new Michelin guide for the year 2020 and will feature those also awarded with plates and bib gourmands.
Are any of you currently waiting to hear if your restaurant has won an award or do you know anyone who is waiting to hear?
https://www.thecaterer.com/news/michelin-stars-guide-great-britain-ireland-2020-latest-updates
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