My Isle of Eriska Experience

Last week I spent a magical week on a work experience placement at the Isle of Eriska Hotel, Spa & Island - lucky me! The hotel is about 10 miles from Oban, but is on a private island accessed over a hundred year old bridge, you would never find it if you didn't know it was there.

The owner, Beppo Buchanan-Smith and his family restored the hotel in the 1970's and it represents a real slice of luxurious peace and quiet on the West Coast of Scotland. The house itself is built in the baronial style popularised by Queen Victoria when she had Balmoral built, and inside is wall to wall wood pannelling, 24 hour log fires and intuitive, personalised service.

I spent a day with each department in the hotel, which ranged from filling hot water bottles and plumping pillows with the housekeeping staff, through check in and out with Reservations to a wine tasting course with the Front of House staff and a facial in the Spa (they had a new therapist who needed a guinea pig to practise on - as you can imagine by this time I was feeling extremely jammy!). Joking apart though, I did shadow most of the everyday workings of the hotel and it was very valuable to see just how they achieve such a high level of service.

Many of the staff at Eriska are foreign nationals, but English lessons are provided alongside a detailed and rigorous training programme which certainly seems to work since the staff are courteous, knowledgeable and enthusiastic - and I can't think of three more desirable attributes in the service/hospitality industry.

My only disappointment was that I didn't manage to see their resident badgers, who come right up to the library windows in the hotel every night for bread, milk and peanuts. Maybe they had heard about the recent meeting with one of their Aberdeenshire cousins and my Golf bumper, and were keeping a sensible distance......

Jan Leatham
Events Manager

I'm "new" here...

It was early Summer 2001 and I had decided it was time to get myself a part time job. I had seen an advert for a local restaurant needing a Kitchen Porter. Before I knew it I was up to my ears in soup, pots, coffee cups and frying pans and after a few months progressed to working front of house. Now its late Autumn 2009 and I have come full circle and am back working at the Milton after several different endeavours and adventures in between.

Several things have changed at the Milton since 2001; ownership, menu's, red napkins instead of blue and some slight positive tweaks to the interior. However, I'm glad it hasn't changed too much. The Milton still has a charm that is not to be found anywhere else locally and the food that comes out of the kitchen really is excellent.

I haven't been back two weeks yet however with all the familiarities and a few busy shifts, I am hoping in time I will remember all the details...bread? starter cutlery? contact phone number?

Hopefully I can use the "I'm new here" excuse for a while yet!

Craig Watt
Front of House

Hello from Charlene in the Kitchen

I joined the Milton Kitchen Team in mid June this year having moved up from Suffolk in England. I was a little nervous (as it always is starting a new job) but everyone was friendly and welcoming and I settled in pretty rapidly. It wasn't long before the guys started the usual 'kitchen banter'.

I have since learnt a lot of new cooking methods and new ideas. However, what I am still struggling with is the Scottish accent and the different dialects. Had I known it was going to be this difficult, I would have taken a crash course! It is a lot harder than I originally thought but I am sure I will eventually start to understand it.

So far my first five months here have been good and I'm looking forward to the next couple of months

From Charlene - Kitchen Team