Step away....

About time for another post I reckon.

Starting to see some real positive movement at the pub although there is still a lot more hard work to put in to get where we want to be leading up to summer which given our huge garden and facilities should really be our peak season.

Going by the amount of meals served on Sundays you'd think world domination cannot be too far away. Week one we did 5 meals, week two we did 10 and week three we did 30 (and also a buffet for 35 heads) so with my limited mathematical expertise I reckon next Sunday we should be doing....ERM.....10 is double 5, 30 is treble 10 so next in sequence would be quadruple that so 120 meals right ?!!? ....OK maybe not but if we hit 30 again I'd be chuffed to bits.

Like I mentioned in the last post it would have been entirely conceivable that the pub would not have been trading this summer but our plan has boosted the belief that we can make it there, inevitably there is still some need for caution, nothing is certain in this business.

The staff I have in the kitchen for evenings and weekends (not all I am still very much in there) have made a real difference to my ability to take some time away and relax as well as concentrate on other necessary aspects of the job such as nailing down the paperwork for our food safety requirements. I'm getting ever more confident that we can not only meet the requirements but actually go that one step further showing our commitment to food safety and hygiene. Five stars or bust!

The two new recruits have had very little actual professional cooking experience but have shown a great willingness to learn and to take on extra tasks which is essential and just what I was looking for. I'm also pleased that my menu and recipes are proving to be as easy to serve as I have designed them to be but at the same getting some wonderful feedback from customers regarding value and quality.

We have a live in manager in place now too which is going to allow us to again take more time to concentrate on our business plan and is also adding stability to the pubs offering. He's a smiley chap with an appetite for fun and loves a good chat too.

All three were known to me prior to taking on this project so I have complete trust in all of them which is something that I might not have had time to build with a completely new person. Lets hope we have the time (and the backing) to achieve our goals so that the working relationship can last for a long time and even flourish as we take on more and more venues.

We also had a young girl come in to work with us to gain experience before she goes off to catering college in September. She's very shy but we tried to make her feel as comfortable as possible and she grew in confidence as the shift progressed. I even had her peeling quails eggs which is a very tricky task even for steady experienced hands but after a few breakages she got there. As we take on more places I really think this is something we should encourage more, the great chefs of the future all need to start somewhere and getting that little bit of experience at our humble venues might prove invaluable. Lets hope that in a few years time we'll be able to welcome them back to  our less humble venues with a kitchen all of their own to run. It all seems so very Jamie Oliver doesn't it? :-)

Cricket training for me also started yesterday, I was actually quite pleased with my bowling and I think that is going to be my focus this season alongside my fielding. I'm really struggling with technique with the bat (which is nothing new) and that was highlighted when I caught a quick delivery full on the forearm which I reckon is going to bruise the entire length of my arm within a few days. It just wouldn't be right for me not to start off the season with some kind of ridiculous injury. Having said that it was great to get back in the nets and to catch up with all the chaps.

Until next time my wonderful readers :-)