A Day in the Life of Eriska

We seem to have seen the last of the summer here at Eriska, however we are still hopeful for the odd ray of sunshine before the winter finally sets in.  Having already experienced a few cold and frosty nights at Eriska, this signals the mushroom season is getting close to an end, although some types will still be found around Eriska until late autumn and early winter.  Wise words from Tyron in our kitchen will shed some light on the mushroom which has featured in many of Eriska’s dishes this month…

So what is a mushroom? Mushroom and any fungus is only the reproductive part of the organism, known as the fruit body (the actual mushroom which we get to see), which develops to form and distribute the spores. Fungi in their structure have some similarities to plants, but they lack chlorophyll, and are therefore unable to build up the carbon compounds essential to life, instead they draw their substances ready made from living or dead plants, or even animals as animals do. Mushrooms are composed of very thin...

Following the busy week we have had here at the hotel, we are grateful that the weekend has finally arrived to give us time to catch our breath for the following weeks ahead.  With camera crews no where to be seen and three refurbished rooms to tick off on our to-do list, it has given us a chance to look back on our achievements to date as well as looking forward towards our future plans and where we want to reach, which is even more daunting!

Our Multi-purpose Hall is progressing well with what was formally known as our tennis court almost disappeared, as the foundations start to take shape and the serious work begins.  After the months of talk and preparations the light is finally beginning to be seen at the end of the tunnel.  However, we are trying not to be too optimistic so are keeping our fingers crossed for everything to run smoothly until it’s completion.

Turning to look...

It has been a busy week here at Eriska with filming and renovations happening at the Hotel.  Today alone we have already been visited by a Camera Crew, carpet fitters, curtain fitters, interior designers and one of our suppliers - Willie Fish!

Our team in the Kitchen were up at the crack of dawn this morning to ensure they were looking their best for our film shoot.  Having reached the final of the Scottish Thistle Awards “Taste of Scotland Award” for the second year running, we were asked to provide some footage of our behind the scenes work in the kitchen from source to plate, to highlight our work with local suppliers and their produce as well as our own home grown produce on Eriska.  Our head chef, Robert, was joined by Tyron in the Kitchen and Willie from Oban’s “Willie Fish” to enjoy their...

Eriska Island is home to many seasonal produce which is grown and used in our kitchen, giving our guests a “taste of the island”.  Hazels are one such ingredient, growing on Eriska which finds its way into many dishes in our kitchen.

Also known as cobnuts these are the fruit of the hazel tree - a small hardy tree, and more often a multi stemmed shrub.  Growing in woods shrubs and hedges; it’s abundant throughout the British Isles except in very damp areas.

A deciduous shrub usually 1.5-3.5m high which flowers from December to April and the nuts are borne from late August to October. Its English name is derived from the Anglo-Saxon “haesel knut” from “haesel” - a hat or cap thus meaning a nut enclosed in a cap.

When picking cob-nuts one, try not to pick them too early as they are likely to be soft and tasteless. They ripen in mid to late September at about the same time the leaves begin to yellow. At this time you...

Having spoken confidently about the equinox gales towards the end of the month they all seemed to start rather early and certainly given a couple of trees down on the island due to high winds it could be assumed that the worst of the weather is over. However weather is a strange game and I would not be sop confident to predict a calm week but lets see what is ahead!

Today: After a dry start it will deteriorate with rain spreading from the southwest.

Monday: Clear spells at first with thicker cloud and rain pushing in later in the day.

Tuesday: Mostly cloudy during the day with further outbreaks of rain, heavy at first and again later. Some brighter drier spells in the afternoon.

Wednesday: A wet morning with extensive hill fog. Becoming drier in the afternoon, some sunny intervals, wet again by dusk.

Thursday: Rain will die out during the night with drier, brighter weather following. Then mainly dry for the rest of the day.

Friday:  Probably dry but outbreaks of rain,...

It seems to come round so fast every year and whilst many may think that it is too early to think about Christmas I have always been a believer that the more planning we do the easier it will be nearer to the time. With only a few rooms left for Christmas and enquiries coming in the main thrust of thought is on the activities we will be able to offer.

 On a positive note we may be able to use our new indoor facility and with the huge number of opportunities this will bring even more options but on the negative side I am never willing to commit to finishing a product by a date unless I actually can see light at the end of the tunnel or in this case no light through the roof! The building is scheduled to be out of the ground by November with a full frame erected and the walls under way and then it will be the roof and cladding all before we can even start thinking about a surface on the floor and activities over Christmas.

However at the back of my mind is that if we can have it ready for Christmas...

With the unpredictable weather we have here in Scotland, the team at Eriska are continually coming up with different ways in which we can make our guests’ stay at Eriska as memorable and enjoyable as possible regardless of the weather.

As a result, earlier this year we announced that we had gained planning permission for a Multi-purpose Sports Hall at Eriska to provide our guests with plenty of activities should the weather turn on us!  Having gained this planning permission, we have finally been able to push ahead with our plans. 

Back in August, diggers were brought in to clear the ground which has allowed the real work to begin in September.  This week, our Estate team have been hard at work moving our plans forward and laying the foundations for the sports hall.  However, this has meant that our tennis court is temporarily out of action as we work hard to finish this project in time for winter.

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From Tyron, in the Kitchen...

The month of September sees the start of the hunting season of the popular game bird the Partridge. Last week in our kitchen we had the first arrival of these wonderful birds which featured on our menu that same day.

Partridges (Perdix) are birds from the Pheasant family (Phasianidae), a ground nesting, seed, leafs and insect eater. There are two main species of this bird, the grey partridge and the red-legged partridge. The grey partridge can be found throughout Europe, Russia and even the Himalayas, and on the British Isles it’s commonly known as the English partridge. The red-legged or French partridge is very similar to the grey partridge, and in some areas, particularly in southern England, this bird has displaced the English bird in numbers. It is believed that taste wise, the grey type is better than the red legged.

There are a good number of recipes which use this bird, such as puddings, game pies and stews, but most people prefer them plainly roasted with a good seasoning of salt and freshly ground pepper which is the best way to maintaining its natural delicate game flavour. Here in our kitchen, we prepare the birds in crowns (i.e. leaving the breasts on the bone) which helps to preserve its flavor and natural juices while roasting. Then we season them with salt and freshly ground pepper before lightly pan frying them to achieve a nice golden colour and finish them off by roasting them in the oven. With the legs being a slightly tougher part of the bird, it is best to confit them (simmer them in an adequate fat, such as duck fat or clarified butter).

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As I wandered round the estate this morning its seems as though different parts of the island are in different seasons, one area saw the ground covered in a carpet of golden leaves and another has a full canopy of green above , one area saw a lush grass and another sees the grass turning to a yellow dead straw.

I suppose if I analyzed the situation further I would find that the aspect of the ground and the drainage played the greatest part but so too does the wind and over the last week these strong breezes have certainly played their part as they were unusually persistent and have certainly heralded the onslaught of autumn where the leave s could no longer hang on. So will the weather forecast be able to help me judge when leaf sweeping and collecting will start or will i not be able to hold off the inevitable for long!

Today: Mainly dry, bright today. Rain reaching coast later.

Monday: Apart from the risk of an odd light shower at first, today will be dry with bright or sunny spells breaking...

Sometimes work on the hotel seems like painting the Forth road Bridge as no sooner have we completed one program than the next starts. But that is not really the whole story as the work to start on room refurbishment does not start the day the painters come on site but months before hand when we first commit to the work then contact designers and start the research procedure . Then we draw up plans and discuss the job in more detail and finally place the orders. Time and experience has now taught us that the lead in period requires to be as long as possible allowing for glitches and disasters and this latest project is no exception. We told all suppliers that the job would start back in August and that we wanted all items on site for the start of work. a simple request especially hen that all committed to the date. luckily I was a bit less trusting and a lot less naive so when we got calls to tell us on disasters and unforseen delays the buffer period I had already established swung into place. Consequently...