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.
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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.
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.
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…!
Introducing a brand new initiative for Milsom Hotels & Restaurants
We’re really excited to announce the launch of Milsom People, our employee engagement and development program. Milsom People has been a long time in the making as we have worked to coordinate all of our existing internal communications whilst developing and incorporating new practices, benefits and initiatives to provide a comprehensive platform from which to communicate to our 450 strong team.
Milsom People has been developed and championed by our Group’s Operating Director, Stas Anastasiades – “We’re a dynamic and moving business and brilliantly we’re also very busy. Having over 360,000 customers to serve every year can mean you are always focussed on the delivery and perhaps do not have quite as much time as we would like to work on development. Our intention with this programme is to create a platform and a number of mechanics that focus entirely on our team and to encourage development at all levels of the business – our people are the most important ingredient of our organisation and it’s critical that we invest in them through training, development, mentoring and reward. I’m personally excited about the future of our business and I am convinced that Milsom People will be a fantastic initiative and that it will further help us to improve our entire operation.”
Launching in April 2018 Milsom People will incorporate four pillars from which all employee engagement can be based. Wellness, Development, Communication and Recognition. In order to help communication Milsom People we have worked to develop it’s very own branding and communication platform which is underpinned by the Milsom People website – a dedicated site for existing and potential employees. The site incorporates latest news, vacancies, a comprehensive list of benefits and resources – some of the pages are accessible by the public with others being available only to Milsom Hotels & Restaurants teams.
There has been a lot of hard work to get to the position of launch but that really is just the beginning of the journey. Milsom People (as a brand and initiative) will be invested in alongside our properties and businesses and we’re looking forward to embedding the programme within our teams.
Introducing a brand new initiative for Milsom Hotels & Restaurants
We’re really excited to announce the launch of Milsom People, our employee engagement and development program. Milsom People has been a long time in the making as we have worked to coordinate all of our existing internal communications whilst developing and incorporating new practices, benefits and initiatives to provide a comprehensive platform from which to communicate to our 450 strong team.
Milsom People has been developed and championed by our Group’s Operating Director, Stas Anastasiades – “We’re a dynamic and moving business and brilliantly we’re also very busy. Having over 360,000 customers to serve every year can mean you are always focussed on the delivery and perhaps do not have quite as much time as we would like to work on development. Our intention with this programme is to create a platform and a number of mechanics that focus entirely on our team and to encourage development at all levels of the business – our people are the most important ingredient of our organisation and it’s critical that we invest in them through training, development, mentoring and reward. I’m personally excited about the future of our business and I am convinced that Milsom People will be a fantastic initiative and that it will further help us to improve our entire operation.”
Launching in April 2018 Milsom People will incorporate four pillars from which all employee engagement can be based. Wellness, Development, Communication and Recognition. In order to help communication Milsom People we have worked to develop it’s very own branding and communication platform which is underpinned by the Milsom People website – a dedicated site for existing and potential employees. The site incorporates latest news, vacancies, a comprehensive list of benefits and resources – some of the pages are accessible by the public with others being available only to Milsom Hotels & Restaurants teams.
There has been a lot of hard work to get to the position of launch but that really is just the beginning of the journey. Milsom People (as a brand and initiative) will be invested in alongside our properties and businesses and we’re looking forward to embedding the programme within our teams.
Introducing a brand new initiative for Milsom Hotels & Restaurants
We’re really excited to announce the launch of Milsom People, our employee engagement and development program. Milsom People has been a long time in the making as we have worked to coordinate all of our existing internal communications whilst developing and incorporating new practices, benefits and initiatives to provide a comprehensive platform from which to communicate to our 450 strong team.
Milsom People has been developed and championed by our Group’s Operating Director, Stas Anastasiades – “We’re a dynamic and moving business and brilliantly we’re also very busy. Having over 360,000 customers to serve every year can mean you are always focussed on the delivery and perhaps do not have quite as much time as we would like to work on development. Our intention with this programme is to create a platform and a number of mechanics that focus entirely on our team and to encourage development at all levels of the business – our people are the most important ingredient of our organisation and it’s critical that we invest in them through training, development, mentoring and reward. I’m personally excited about the future of our business and I am convinced that Milsom People will be a fantastic initiative and that it will further help us to improve our entire operation.”
Launching in April 2018 Milsom People will incorporate four pillars from which all employee engagement can be based. Wellness, Development, Communication and Recognition. In order to help communication Milsom People we have worked to develop it’s very own branding and communication platform which is underpinned by the Milsom People website – a dedicated site for existing and potential employees. The site incorporates latest news, vacancies, a comprehensive list of benefits and resources – some of the pages are accessible by the public with others being available only to Milsom Hotels & Restaurants teams.
There has been a lot of hard work to get to the position of launch but that really is just the beginning of the journey. Milsom People (as a brand and initiative) will be invested in alongside our properties and businesses and we’re looking forward to embedding the programme within our teams.
Introducing a brand new initiative for Milsom Hotels & Restaurants
We’re really excited to announce the launch of Milsom People, our employee engagement and development program. Milsom People has been a long time in the making as we have worked to coordinate all of our existing internal communications whilst developing and incorporating new practices, benefits and initiatives to provide a comprehensive platform from which to communicate to our 450 strong team.
Milsom People has been developed and championed by our Group’s Operating Director, Stas Anastasiades – “We’re a dynamic and moving business and brilliantly we’re also very busy. Having over 360,000 customers to serve every year can mean you are always focussed on the delivery and perhaps do not have quite as much time as we would like to work on development. Our intention with this programme is to create a platform and a number of mechanics that focus entirely on our team and to encourage development at all levels of the business – our people are the most important ingredient of our organisation and it’s critical that we invest in them through training, development, mentoring and reward. I’m personally excited about the future of our business and I am convinced that Milsom People will be a fantastic initiative and that it will further help us to improve our entire operation.”
Launching in April 2018 Milsom People will incorporate four pillars from which all employee engagement can be based. Wellness, Development, Communication and Recognition. In order to help communication Milsom People we have worked to develop it’s very own branding and communication platform which is underpinned by the Milsom People website – a dedicated site for existing and potential employees. The site incorporates latest news, vacancies, a comprehensive list of benefits and resources – some of the pages are accessible by the public with others being available only to Milsom Hotels & Restaurants teams.
There has been a lot of hard work to get to the position of launch but that really is just the beginning of the journey. Milsom People (as a brand and initiative) will be invested in alongside our properties and businesses and we’re looking forward to embedding the programme within our teams.
Introducing a brand new initiative for Milsom Hotels & Restaurants
We’re really excited to announce the launch of Milsom People, our employee engagement and development program. Milsom People has been a long time in the making as we have worked to coordinate all of our existing internal communications whilst developing and incorporating new practices, benefits and initiatives to provide a comprehensive platform from which to communicate to our 450 strong team.
Milsom People has been developed and championed by our Group’s Operating Director, Stas Anastasiades – “We’re a dynamic and moving business and brilliantly we’re also very busy. Having over 360,000 customers to serve every year can mean you are always focussed on the delivery and perhaps do not have quite as much time as we would like to work on development. Our intention with this programme is to create a platform and a number of mechanics that focus entirely on our team and to encourage development at all levels of the business – our people are the most important ingredient of our organisation and it’s critical that we invest in them through training, development, mentoring and reward. I’m personally excited about the future of our business and I am convinced that Milsom People will be a fantastic initiative and that it will further help us to improve our entire operation.”
Launching in April 2018 Milsom People will incorporate four pillars from which all employee engagement can be based. Wellness, Development, Communication and Recognition. In order to help communication Milsom People we have worked to develop it’s very own branding and communication platform which is underpinned by the Milsom People website – a dedicated site for existing and potential employees. The site incorporates latest news, vacancies, a comprehensive list of benefits and resources – some of the pages are accessible by the public with others being available only to Milsom Hotels & Restaurants teams.
There has been a lot of hard work to get to the position of launch but that really is just the beginning of the journey. Milsom People (as a brand and initiative) will be invested in alongside our properties and businesses and we’re looking forward to embedding the programme within our teams.