FOH Assistants Milsoms in Dedham
Do you want to work in a restaurant that is vibrant, popular and is recognised as one of the leading businesses in Hospitality in the UK? Milsoms restaurant and hotel in Dedham, part of the Milsoms Hotels & Restaurants Group is the place for you to start or further your career and become one of Milsoms’ People as a restaurant assistant.
Milsoms in Dedham is proud to be able to offer new enthusiastic staff the chance to come and work in its thriving restaurant team as a restaurant assistant as we open our brand new Kitchen in March 2023. Whether you have experience in the restaurant and hotel business or looking for that first job, here at Milsoms we want to help you develop your knowledge in the working world within one of the most popular restaurants in the area.
Whether you are looking for short term Spring and Summer work or regular long-term work, here at Milsoms we have a position as a restaurant assistant for you in our strong restaurant team.
Working in the restaurant:
- We are open all day with a well structured rota covering all day and evening dining
- Our team of staff are always welcoming to staff and customers alike
- The fast paced buzzing restaurant and bar requires an energetic person who thrives on a busy environment
- Get to know our customers is part of the fun as we have a large base of passionate regulars who love to get to know the team
- Food and drinks training regularly offered to all staff to further your knowledge of what we have to offer
- Experience is not essential and we are happy to train anyone who is enthusiastic
Look at our ‘Milsom People’ careers site to find out all exciting benefits you will receive when you join the team as a restaurant assistant, which include:
- 30% or More off our food at Milsoms and our other restaurants
- 30% off spa treatments
- Employee Assistance Programme
For these roles, we are currently paying £7.00 – £9.75 per hour, depending on knowledge and experience.
Unskilled or Unsung heroes?
Service industry workers, Unskilled or Unsung heroes? You decide.
The following article, written by Mary Jane Flanagan appeared in The Caterer online on the 20th February 2020
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I am sure many of you have sat back in your seat after a wonderful meal and said “right at this moment life doesn’t get better than this.”, without a second thought to the kitchen porters, cleaners, commis and waiters that made it happen.
Perhaps having had to endure the morning commute on your clean train, that first cup of coffee has been your saviour, yet you cannot recall the name of the always positive person who served it to you.
As you sit down at your clean desk having got to your floor because the lights and the lifts worked, you don’t even notice the bin has been emptied. You visit the pristine bathrooms but have probably never acknowledged the housekeeping teams that arrived an hour before you, and will leave hours after you, to ensure your workplace is a pleasurable environment conducive to you and your company achieving results.
Our service teams help the business do business and our people thrive
The legion of hardworking, committed, often lower paid employees are the army of workers who help business do business and people have fun. From facilities and service contractors, hospitality to infrastructure these teams are often overlooked and undervalued because they are not “fee earners” or the “glory boys & girls” as I like to call them.
Read the rest of the blog here
AA Awards for Le Talbooth and Maison Talbooth
Le Talbooth were the proud recipients of 3 Rosettes from the AA Restaurant Services at the annual awards ceremony, held at Grosvenor House on Monday, 23rd September.
Much credit goes to the kitchen team led by head chef Andrew Hirst and senior sous chef Jamie Jackson – as well as their brigade of chefs – who have worked tirelessly to achieve the third rosette; also to the brilliant front of house team who look after the guests so ably.
Stas Anastasiades, Operations Director for Milsom Hotels & Restaurants, said: “We are absolutely thrilled to receive this award; naturally our customers come first and listening to them is key to our evolution. I couldn’t be more delighted that our fantastic team have been recognised by our industry’s most highly regarded and respected benchmarking organisation.
“It is fair to say that the process has been tough which makes it even more rewarding to achieve this prestigious award. To be awarded 3 Rosettes means the world to the whole team at Le Talbooth; this gives us the confidence to continue cooking with the very best local and British ingredients with love, lightness of touch and creativity.”
To add to Le Talbooth’s award, there was also great news for Maison Talbooth, which was awarded 4 Red stars at the ceremony. This accolade, also know as Inspectors’ Choice, is only given to the very best hotels in the UK.
Stas added: “We couldn’t be more delighted to recognised by the AA Hotels Services as a 4 AA Red Star hotel; to go through such a robust and thorough inspection process and to have delivered across the board gives us the confidence to believe that we heading in the right direction for the future.
“For the team and the board of directors it means recognition of continuous dedication, hard work and investment and to be positioned alongside so many other great 4 Red Star hotels is truly wonderful. We will continue with our approach of the warmest hospitality, aspirational design and traditional inn keeping with renewed confidence.”
Andrew Thurston claims his Milsom People benefit
Andrew Thurston, junior sous chef who is part of the kitchen brigade at Le Talbooth is the first member of Milsom People to introduce a member of staff to work with us at Milsom Hotels and achieve a £750 benefit.
Andrew introduced Connor Hefferenan who joined the Milsoms kitchen as a chef de partie and was rapidly promoted to junior sous chef.
Any member of staff who introduces a senior full time member of staff and they stay in post for 6 months will receive £750 a great incentive!
Which Familiar Face Mentioned Le Talbooth in The Caterer?
An old friend just mentioned Le Talbooth in his interview for The Caterer…
Find out who it is and find out their controversial views on Truffles here!
“Truffles don’t blow my mind too much – I know it’s a lovely product, but it’s a bit overrated for me. Truffle oil is horrible; I can’t stand the smell – it’s like petrol! You know when a chef has used it because you can smell the plate coming towards you…”
Long Service Dinner 2019
We celebrated our annual Long Service Awards with a special dinner in the Marquee at Le Talbooth on Sunday 28th April.
This event is held every April to celebrate the long service of the staff. All members of staff who have worked for the company for over five years are invited to the dinner; the number grows each year and in this, the 14th, year more than 90 people attended with awards ranging from five to 30 years.
Managing director Paul Milsom said: ‘The Gerald Milsom Dinner is an important date in our calendar when we hold this special party for our staff. Long service was something that my father was passionate about and the longevity of people’s time with us meant a lot to him, in fact he could never understand why anyone would want to leave.
“In 2019, we hit a huge milestone with a combined service of all those in the room totalling 1,000 years which is quite an achievement and one that we are incredible proud of!”
After a delicious three course dinner; the award ceremony was masterminded by Michael J Fitch ably assisted by Paul Milsom with much hilarity, a lot of magic with the evening ending in the usual Milsom People way – on the dancefloor.
Plating up
If you’ve ever wondered how our restaurant dishes get to look so great before leaving the pass, then take a look at our timelapse videos below.
We have been lucky enough to shoot two videos in the kitchens at Maison Talbooth and Le Talbooth, showing a sneak peak at our chefs in action as they prepare the dishes of the day. Just don’t blame us if you find yourself feeling hungry afterwards!
Beertopia
Our annual Beertopia event at Le Talbooth is always a popular night, with both guests and members of the Milsom team enjoying themselves.
At October’s event, we were fortunate enough to have a great video taken to showcase the night and capture all of the highlights, including the impressive array of craft beers, the popular Prosecco bar, dude food and live music. We hope you enjoy reliving (or discovering!) the memories as much as we did.
Milsom Employee of the Year 2018
And the winner is …
We are delighted to announce that Gary Rooke has been chosen as the 2018 Milsom Hotels ‘Employee of the Year’. Gary started working for the company in September 2017 in the kitchen at Milsoms in Dedham; he joined a well-established and cohesive team but stepped up to his role of sous chef and made the job his own; during the 15 short months he has been an exceptional member of the team.
As well as the main award, each property has their individual winners:
Holly Bruce Le Talbooth & Milsom Catering
Pat Sharp Maison Talbooth
Emily Gridley The Pier at Harwich
Fay Stevens Milsoms Kesgrave Hall
The Employee awards are now in their fourth year, with every member of staff from each property able to vote for their peers every three months to become ‘Employee of the Season’, these winners are then go through to the Employee of the Year award. The main award is given out at a lunch in January for all the year’s winners held in Mr G’s at milsoms in Dedham.
How to... make a decent flat white
In the first of a series of ‘how to’ videos, Shannon at Milsoms Kesgrave Hall shows us how to make a decent flat white.
It’s a staple request from guests at all of our properties and mastering this art is just one way we can help ensure their visit is one to remember.
Armistice Ball raises £27,000 for The Soldiers Charity
The Hangar at Milsoms Kesgrave Hall was transformed into the Downton Abbey Ballroom on Saturday 10th November as 200 guests commemorated the 100th anniversary of the Armistice at a fabulous charity ball raising funds for the ABF The Soldiers’ Charity.
The evening started with a Champagne reception before guests went through into The Hangar which has been dressed for the occasion and captured the spirit of the time. Paul Milsom, managing director of Milsom Hotels, welcomed guests to Kesgrave Hall and asked for a two minute silence at the start of the evening.
During dinner, guests were entertained by the acapella group The Testostertones and the ‘Downton Abbey Dancers’, before a charity auction which included lots such as dinner with Graham Gooch and Michael J Fitch in The Mess at Kesgrave Hall, and a morning’s digger driving with the Hills Group.
However, the star of the auction show was definitely the replica of the Royal Enfield 500 Pegasus 500 motorbike ‘the Flying Flea’, which made an incredible £10,000 to give an amazing boost to the fundraising. After the excitement of the auction, guests took to the dancefloor with entertainment from the Band of the Army Air Corps and Dreamwave Events.
Paul Milsom said: “We promised everyone a night to remember and we certainly delivered it, from the First World War bi-plane from Stow Maries airfield to the magnificent entertainment from The Testostertones, the Downton Abbey Dancers and the band of the Army Air Corps and the amazing transformation of The Hangar by Dreamwave Events.
“Our aim was to match the £20,000 we raised in 2015 for the VE Party, but to smash this to £27,000 was amazing and we thank all our guests for giving so generously and for partying long into the night.”
Beertopia 2018 - a Milsom Hotels & Restaurants Event
We are all about throwing great parties. That’s what we do for our guests week in week out. These parties are often led by guests, such as weddings, special birthdays and other private events. Beertopia however is a different gig. It’s really one of our events, similar to our historic summer BBQs, race days and more recently all of the fantastic events that our team put on in The Hangar at Milsoms Kesgrave Hall.
These events are created by us with lots of inspiration coming from the team working at Milsom Hotels to determine how the events are executed. And there is so much that goes in to each event of course – they don’t just happen – but we have an extremely experienced team in place which is why it’s so satisfying to see everyone enjoying themselves at Beertopia.
So what’s involved in delivering these great events?
Well, first of all we have to create the concept for any event in the first instance, whether it’s Beertopia or the Armistice Ball at Milsoms Kesgrave Hall, there has to be someone who comes up with the idea in the first place. (Please do shout if you have any event ideas!). Once the idea has been conceived we then begin to plan the detail. This involves creating the core look for the campaign (artwork) to allow us to promote the event. The design is always based on the theme of the event and we always aim to make it eye catching and different for maximum impact. Lots will be happening simultaneously at this point, from planning the food, liaising with suppliers (in this case beer!), planning logistics and importantly selling tickets through our properties and via our website. There are so many Milsom People involved in making these events a success – almost every area of the business is called upon for any location-specific event, from HR and Marketing through to the Catering and Operational teams.
The planning and preparation is one thing, but then comes the delivery of the event and that’s when the teams really kick in. There is a wonderful ‘hands on’ approach with everyone pitching in as the event build-up takes place. From interior prep and layout to catering and planning, there is a build-up of anticipation, excitement – and possibly a little tension – but you can sense everyone is getting mentally prepared as well as taking care of their specific tasks.
What makes Beertopia so good?
Well first of all it’s a beer festival, or maybe it’s a Prosecco festival? Either way, that’s the basis for a great event. Beertopia is relaxed of course and guests are able to experience Le Talbooth and the Marquee in a very different capacity to usual – jeans, trainers and tattoos are less frequently seen through the summer months on the riverside terrace! The beer and Prosecco flows of course, but then the food is delivered – and what great food it is. This year there were so many people overheard saying ‘the portions are great’, ‘love the fish and chips’, ‘the pork was perfect’. It’s incredibly satisfying to hear happy customers and that’s down to the effort that our teams put in – before, during and after the events. This year Beertopia just seemed to work. The bands had people dancing, the weather was perfect – giving a festival vibe to everything and it was also great to see so many Milsom People there. Collaboration is essential when delivering any event and the team working on the night take great pride in serving their fellow colleagues and to have the support of your workmates at these events is extremely motivating.
We managed to capture lots of great images from this year’s beer festival and even some video this year. Have a look through and if anyone would like a copy of the images just let us know.
Well done and here’s to Dedham’s BEERTOPIA 2019…!
