A Day in the Life of Eriska

Well we should not really be surprised that with a bank holiday only being observed in England - Scotland gained a wonderful weekend of weather and it looks set to continue into the week. It might  also be highlighted that after a couple of months of decidedly un summery weather it has improved immensely since the schools went back  just so all the school children can look enviously out as they sit in their classrooms!

So is it set to continue?

Today: After a cloudy dawn it will slowly clear, leaving warm sunny spells.

Monday: after a night  with a  few showers it will again dry up leaving an  otherwise a fine dry and sunny day.

Tuesday: A dry day with some good sunny spells, and excellent visibility. A cold, strong north to northwest breeze on hills.

Wednesday: A fine dry spell of weather with some bright or sunny spells. A cool start with some local ground frost, the day warming up by midday.

Thursday: It will be mainly dry with some sunshine after the clearance of any early morning mist or fog patches.

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One of my childhood abiding memories was being put in the front loading bucket of the old tractor and lifted up into the canopy of a tree in the garden to pick apples from one of the trees. I am sure that child services may have had second thoughts about the misuse of child labour and  health and safety may have wanted to be involved due to lack of risk assessment but no one was ever hurt and certainly it was all part of a wonderful experience.

 

 Whilst much has changed over the years the tree has survived and although the harvest has reduced over the year the tree stood strong. We had been forced to remove some of the limbs due to ingress of rot but there still remained a few branches with leaves although lichen and moss had begun to overtake the tree. Regrettably however this year the moss has won and the tree barely produce a leaf never mind blossom and definitely no apples so we have started to remove it from its spot.

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Each year, and almost every weekend throughout the summer, a different town or village near Eriska hosts their own Highland Games.  Today the Argyllshire Highland Gathering took place in Oban and we were lucky enough to have one of our guests act as photographer for us - have a look at their photos posted on our Facebook page.  This is just one of the many Highland Gatherings Eriska is surrounded by throughout the summer.  Our neighbours at Appin, played host to their 52nd Appin Agricultural Show which took place at Stalker Croft last Saturday.  Despite the torrential rain we were subjected to the previous evening, as always, the weather brightened up on the day.

The show gives the chance for the locals, as well as those from further a field, to showcase their creative talents and of course strength - females as well as males!  This was certainly shown in the most competitive event of the day which has to...

Working in a hotel surrounded by woods, and with a wild food and mushrooms expert like Chef Robert, one's interest and curiosity in wild food will certainly grow. From late June, if one has a good look around in the woodlands, under trees and between the leaves, you can easily notice the earliest specie we get round here. The Chanterelle is a common mushroom in the woods around Eriska. As the mushroom season matures and autumn gets closer, other types of mushroom begin to appear, which include; Hedgehog fungus, Ceps (penny bun), Puff balls, Autumn Chanterelles, Orange Birch Boletus, Brown Birch Boletus, and many more. All of which contribute to a tasty wild mushroom dish such as casserole, risotto, pasta sauce, or simply tossed in nice garlic butter. One general rule has to be kept in mind when collecting wild food and fungi, unless you’re a very experienced mushroom picker always double check everything in a book devoted to identification. Some species of fungi are highly poisonous, so always be sure.        ...

Often we believe we sit in the middle of our own micro climate here at Eriska and watch the clouds part and sunshine beam down on Eriska but that may now be wishful thinking as yesterday | was pushed inside by a sudden downpour of rain and happened to flick on the television only to be depressed by the sight of the Macaulay Cup shinty game going on in Oban where it seemed to be sunshine and summer with spectators in sunglasses and short and tee shirt whilst I gazed out the window- not 7 miles away at the driving rain and strong winds!

  Lets hope this is just a slight oddity and that normal sunshine on Eriska can return!

Today: After a Mainly dry morning with sunny spells we can expect some showers in the afternoon.

Monday: Bright initially but a band of shower swill spread east with some heavy.

Tuesday:Showers clearing to leave a dry afternoon.

Wednesday: A dry bright start with some sun but again it will deteriorate with showers in the afternoon.

Thursday: Scattered...

No sooner have the schools gone back in Scotland than our thoughts start turning to the winter. Fortunately we are not quite as bad as some of the shops who are already talking about Christmas- although no festive windows in Oban yet- but we are having ot concentrate on activities in November and December. In truth this has all been going on for some time as we have to try and tempt the best to join us at Eriska to make the events both memorable and most importantly worth visiting for.

Last year Fabrice was kindly invited on a trip to Cheval Blanc in Bordeaux by our friends at LVMH as part of the work to develop and explain the emerging relationship between South American wineries and France. Fortunately due to Fabrices grasp of French- helped by him being a citizen - he was able to explain all about Eriska to the winemaker from Cheval des Andes and he kindly offered to organise a tasting and evening here at Eriska exploring Chateau Yquem and Cheval Des Andes.

As is often the case much is promised...

Recently, we heard from two guests at the hotel who shared their story with us, having spent a wonderful day on the Island of Lismore.  They took the passenger ferry over from Port Appin and were greeted by horse and cart – a surprise organised by us here at the Isle of Eriska after learning of their 30th wedding anniversary during their stay with us... We arrived for a long weekend stay at the Isle of Eriska on the Thursday and upon arrival, were presented with extra goodies as part of our anniversary package.  One of which was a horse and carriage ride on the beautiful Island of Lismore. The owner, Dot Hay, was most welcoming and introduced us to Cass the Horse, our ride for the day, upon arrival.  We had been warned about the steep hills we would encounter on the Island from some cyclists while waiting for the passenger  ferry over, so were very glad we did not have to do any of that hard work!   I think we definitely got the better deal being transported by horse and carriage, which slowed down the pace...

As I was passing through the drawing room yesterday I caught the eye of a girl sitting on the sofa reading the Eriska book- or so I thought, in fact she seemed to be looking guilty and therefore I was intrigued and having passed glanced back to see what was amiss. It seemed like a day back at school when the clever would read a book inside the allotted text book so the teacher believed swatting was going on and in reality the illicit reading material from earlier in the day was being finished under disguise.

 But in this case this was not the story however I did notice a mobile phone being hidden away as I passed and after a few minutes of still being unclear as to the operation my intrigue got the better of me and I was forced to ask. as soon as I had there were howls of laughter from across the room where other members of the family were sitting. Clearly the poor girl had now been completely rumbled and explaining the operation was going to add to the indignity but she was goaded to explain what was happening!

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Chris and Jeff Read, owners of “Isle of Mull Cheese” company, have sent well over 100kg of their world famous Mull cheddar to the Isle of Eriska each year. Their farm named SGRIOB-RUADH (Ski-Brooah), meaning Red Furrow in Gaelic, is situated near Tobermory on the Hebridean Island of Mull.   Here, the cows are grazed organically from grass made up of an abundance of natural herbage.  Once these cows are milked, the traditional cheese making process begins.  Jeff states that “No fresher milk is used in cheese making than here at Sgriob-ruadh”.  Jeff believes pasteurisation to be an unnecessarily brutal way of treating milk used for cheese making.  Far too many organisms which have the potential to create individualism and maturity of flavour are indiscriminately sacrificed in the pasteurisation process. Once the cheese making process is complete, these cheeses are stored for...

With the start of the school term here in Scotland it was always going to be a signal that the weather could turn for the better- just to make the first few days back at School even more appealing for the children! It was also going to dry up as soon as I announced that we needed water to test our new draining system, but at least the drier condityions have allowed us to press on with our outside painting of roofs and walls to get the place ready for the next onslaught of rain!

So whats ahead this week,

Today: Dry with some sunny spells. Pleasantly warm with light winds.

Monday:After a dry night a misty dawn will give way to some clear spells developing, though some patchy low cloud, mist or even fog inland.

Tuesday Again any mist lifting then a dry and bright day with variable cloud and some good bright or sunny intervals.

Wednesday:After the dry start to the week it will begin turning much more unsettled with showers or longer spells of rain, some heavy.

Thursday: Unsettled...