Week 1-4: The Strathern and Private dining.
Hii everyone, Sarah here, my blog is going to be a reflective piece, as that’s how I felt it would better express my time here, so let’s begin.The first week arriving in Scotland was amazing. The views were just breathtaking with the people being lovely as ever. The architecture here is beautiful. I spent the first few days looking around in Edinburgh, getting used to the area.
Before being in any restaurant I was given a very detailed induction that stretched over two days. This was a full briefing of how the hotel operates and what your role will be. The first day was mostly looking around and getting comfortable with the place, because it’s massive.
We were given our badges which are cards we use to tap and activate rooms/ doors around the hotel, uniforms and where to get them each morning. I thought this was great, every morning you would exchange your whites for fresh ones only having to wash your trousers. Everything here is very efficient. Day two was just for chefs, taking us through kitchen safe procedures and how to use certain machines.
Finally actually getting to the kitchen.
I started in the strath my first few weeks at Gleneagles. It is a fine dining/ rosette type of restaurant. I was put on the garnish section which was extremely prep heavy, as every dish on the menu practically had a garnish and side coming from me. At the beginning they just left me in the section on my own which was very intimidating but looking back it was helpful, you won’t always get help in every kitchen you are in so having them throw me in the deep end was beneficial.Working here was brief but an experience, I learned so many new techniques and flavour combinations that I can make my own, working with some very intelligent chefs was also refreshing. Seeing how different people use different ingredients and why is something you learn heavily in the strath.
A week after I arrived a special was put on, allowing me to work closely with the sous chef to have the components to complete the dish. It was a grouse dish and this was the garnish.
I had no idea what grouse was until I was preparing for this dish.Now that I do, I have an idea of what flavour notes can pair nicely with the bird, in this case it was blackberries, mushrooms and bread. This was a joyful moment to start my time here. This was my little peek into the fining world which I enjoyed, yes it was hard work but worth it.
The level of respect they have for one another in that kitchen is admirable. They each recognise what each member brings to the table.
Apart from work I spent my first few weeks here exploring my area. There’s a little village called Auchterarder that’s 30 mins on foot, away from the hotel but there are buses that do go that route as well. It has a lot to offer, there’s a supermarket, clothing in shops, pharmacies, restaurants and pubs. It's a cute little place.
Private Dining
This kitchen specialises in catering for functions, it’s a plated service type of kitchen.When I started we had a south Asian wedding, this required us to prep canapés, starters and mains for 400 guests over the course of 3 days. I’ve never in my life been more intimidated. It was a challenge, but I loved every second. I can't lie, there were times where I thought I wouldnt be able to cope. A part of PD was being in the cold room which was like a big fridge also called the plating suite. This is where you would plate the starters and mains. Obviously this was my least favourite part of the job as I was always cold.
In my fourth week, I was put in the position to lead some functions, this was just making sure everything was prepped, organised and presentable. which was a great confidence booster knowing that the Chefs thought I was able to do this.
These were some of the dishes,
This kitchen really helped me work on my technical skills, repeating the same action multiple times until you finally perfect it. I also worked on BBQ’s up at the shooting lodge for VIP’s, which was very fun. It was weird seeing familiar faces you see in movies and having to act normal.
We had a taste of Scotland event, this is where a piper comes in to tell the stories about Scotland and haggis, I got the privilege to carry out the haggis twice for it, got to white a white hat and all. It was a strange experience but enjoyable, and got me out of my comfort zone. Our biggest week in PD was catering for 2000 people for our Google event. Having to continuously count and remember different ingredients, plates, additional dietaries and allergens. Working in this kitchen greatly improved my organisation skills, having to work with an exact number you need to work on reducing waste and using up all of what was ordered. I had a wonderful time in this kitchen, having built close bonds with the chefs and feeling appreciated every time I came into work, they really took care of me.
Until next time, S.A.
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