The making of THE DEFINING IMAGE of Balbirnie House

We're currently in the process of finalising a very significant update to our company brigade handbook, which has served us well since 1992. 

The new version is titled, 'The Balbirnie House Constitution', and as well as defining how our systems operate, it's also brimming with history, anecdotes, facts, and many brand new components of the future, based on our groundbreaking capabilities to enhance what we do, via our new digitalised ecosystem. 

In total, we're at 90 digitalised pages A4, and the overview will update our entire brigade, as well as providing a comprehensive introduction for those who are new to the hotel in the future. 

The publication will be Copyrighted. 

Currently formatted as a developmental prototype, final review and 'refining input' is from our management team, but such has been the initial response to how we have concluded the Constitution, we're going to deliver that finish here today, as a Blog post: 

THE DEFINING IMAGE OF BALBIRNIE HOUSE

Have you watched the movie ‘The Secret Life of Walter Mitty’ … ? 

If you have, you’ll know that it’s about Walter Mitty working in the photography department of LIFE magazine, tracking elusive photographer Sean O’Connell, who apparently has in his possession, one single, totally incredible photograph, to be used for the final issued copy of the magazine.

Only to discover, in the final seconds of the movie, that the photo is actually of Walter Mitty himself, sitting studying potential photographs. 

It is a story about people who are absolutely committed to their chosen professions. And we’ve certainly seen many of those over the years at Balbirnie House. 

Dedicated to the People Who Made It.

Here is our version. 

In-house Piper Ian Sword played at 1,241 weddings at Balbirnie House. 

And retired, age 81, October 2017. 

After Ian had piped his final newly-wedded couple to the top table, our brigade very purposefully made no grand gestures, and the GM ensured he was not even personally present to say Goodbye. 

Because, the GM then telephoned Ian at home, saying ‘Ian, you are not done. We knew you would not be done, and that is why we didn’t say goodbye. We need you back, and this time it will indeed be the final piping at Balbirnie House. We would be honoured in the extreme, if you would play the pipes, as the brigade enters our brand new Drawing Room, to see the most incredible artwork collection ever gifted to a hotel in Scotland, for the very first time. It’s our 2017 project of the year! Wildflowers, Balbirnie – and it celebrates our first quarter century as a hotel!’

The Golden Ribbon was there, ready to be cut. 

That day arrived. Friday 13^th October 2017. 

The 13^th chosen specifically, to represent good luck. 

In advance, we asked Ian to arrive early that morning, and asked if he would care to help us by having his photograph taken, whilst the day’s professional photographer was ‘warming up’, for the day’s formal photo sessions. Ian agreed to that. 

We took this photo: 

And then this one: 

Ian was not aware that the photographer was one of the most accomplished in the land, Ken Paterson – Scotland’s photographer for The New York Times. 

Ian was not aware that over previous days, the GM had discussed and met with Ken Paterson, visualising together … how to endeavour to capture what would become THE DEFINING IMAGE, of a quarter century of Balbirnie House. 

So, that morning we then sat Ian down inside the hotel, and had a coffee. 

The GM talked of Memories of Ian piping over the years. 

And then talked about how those who are no longer with us, would have been incredulous at Ian’s 1,241 weddings at Balbirnie House. 

We could see that Ian was rather emotional, as we were as well, now fully realising that this was indeed, to be his final time piping at Balbirnie House. 

And for those of us on duty that day, it was to be such an incredible honour for us, to see Ian play for the final time. 

Think of it. We then thanked Ian, on behalf of the 1,241 couples.

Not one single client ever let down, every single client absolutely delighted, every single occasion personalised for the couple. 

Such an incredible achievement, which would later receive a Motion of Congratulations in Scotland’s Parliament. 

That morning we then got an iPad out and considered this image, of Ian Sword front row as a young lad, in The Kinglassie and District Pipe Band. Incredible. Ian was so very proud to be reminded of the photo. 

And then Ian playing at his first wedding. Incredible. By now, Ian was lost for words. 

At this point Ken very casually, and nonchalantly asked Ian and the GM if they would be so kind as to act as the ‘photo models for a few minutes’ to help him focus his cameras, for the photoshoots which were scheduled for later that morning. 

Ian and the GM said, ‘No problem at all!’

And this is where we arrive at the difference between pointing a camera to take a photograph, and pointing a camera to capture a piece of magic.

Every piece of this was planned. And for the record it took us 43 photos, to get to the final result. 

Photo of pipes and a whisky, to help show Ian that ‘nothing unusual was going on’ … 

Change perspective and move the whisky, to get better light: 

Photo with GM, to familiarise intended subject with the camera. 

Goof around, ‘Are you holding your hands by your sides, why don’t you position your hands over the sporran chain?’

GM steps out of shot. Photographer asks Ian to remove piper’s hat and pipes. Asks Ian if he can remember playing at his first wedding. Click.

Hat back on, and pipes back in!

We now start heading towards the image. 

‘Raise your glass and think of Scotland!’ Click. 

And next, that’s when Ken Paterson captured the defining image of Balbirnie House. By asking at that point, ‘How does it feel like today, to be playing your pipes here at Balbirnie House for the final time?’ Click. 

Not that Ian knew it at that point, but this next one would be: 

THE DEFINING IMAGE OF BALBIRNIE HOUSE: 

If you look very closely, you see the emotion of everything. 

An acknowledgement of so much hard work, consistency, effort, and delivery. Lost for words, but wanting to say a million things. 

An accumulated history. Absolute Scotland Hospitality. 

And the continuing future in what is currently a blurred background. 

Vibrant colour, contemporary light. New circumstances always, in an 18^th century property. A whisky, and a sense of occasion. 

Our sincere gratitude to Ian Sword and Ken Paterson. 

Ian and the GM and DM Rebecca Harper then stood beside Balbirnie’s front steps, and our red carpet. Waiting to welcome Gordon MacIntyre-Kemp CEO of Business for Scotland, who would be cutting the golden ribbon on the project: 

‘Ian, you know what we’ve been working on this week? Our entire Special Events Team have been going through 25 years of photographs, looking for one single image, which to us, defines Balbirnie House, our brigade, our clients, our history, distilled to the very essence of who we are, and what it feels like to work here in Scotland Hospitality. Can you imagine, one single image!!!’

‘Well Oh My Goodness Me Nicholas. What an incredible project, and I cannot wait to see which photograph they eventually choose!!!’ 

‘Me too!!!’

We released THE DEFINING IMAGE OF BALBIRNIE HOUSE on our social media that evening. ‘THE PIPER RETIRES’ 

Of course, we never told Ian Sword that he was going to become 

THE DEFINING IMAGE OF BALBIRNIE HOUSE. 

We left that lovely task, to Ian’s family. 

AND TO FINISH: 

Let’s take the story about Ian’s photo as an inspiration for all components of our future client journeys, for the next quarter century. 

Let’s fully realise that we have the in-house capability to deliver truly outstanding world class Hospitality, creating incredible Memories, and recollections on unprecedented sensory levels. 

Balbirnie’s brigade has accomplished remarkable things thus far. 

Our blessings are counted every day. 

But Today is Not a Dress Rehearsal for Tomorrow. 

Best wishes to one and all,

Nicholas Russell / GM 1992, MD 2005/ Balbirnie House 

*Constitution ends*

Our sincere gratitude to Archie Forrest, Scotland's leading contemporary Colourist painter. 'This is my gift to Scotland's tourism and hospitality sectors' 

Our sincere thanks to Gordon MacIntyre-Kemp CEO Business for Scotland, cutting the golden ribbon.

GM Balbirnie House. His starting weekly wage in London's Savoy Hotel? £24.00!!! Meet the Team, MD Nicholas Russell

A JOURNEY IN HOSPITALITY. 

Each of us of course, is a product of the people we've been with, and the experiences we've had. This Blog post explains some of the thinking that's gone into Balbirnie House over the last 3 decades. 

We're adding new info to our 'Meet The Team' page on our website. 

This blog post is an extended version for company MD Nicholas Russell.  

Kilt via Howie Nicholsby of Edinburgh's 21st Century Kilts.

Nicholas grew up in Scotland’s Hospitality business, his parents Alan and Elizabeth owned Chapeltoun House hotel in Ayrshire, one of the UK’s very first country house hotels. He started work as a young lad, on the cold starter section in the kitchens, and until the age of 17 spent school holidays earning pocket money by working in kitchens, front-of-house and gardens. ‘Working as my father’s assistant in the kitchens, upon reflection, it was surreal. My dad had basically made the move from being one of Scotland’s most accomplished Executive Chefs, into personally owning a country house hotel, an unheard of circumstance for a chef, and he was absolutely driven to succeed. I can recall the night where everything in kitchen service ‘clicked’ for myself, for the first time. I was able to predict my father’s next move, and be ahead of him, to help him. If I knew he would need a particular knife in 15 seconds, it would be there cleaned and waiting for him. And so on. How my father laughed, when he realised his young lad had learnt, simply by doing and watching’. 

Nicholas attended Loretto school in Edinburgh, and from there was put forward by the headmaster for The Reeves-Smith scholarship, within The Savoy Group of hotels, London. This application process delivered one of 12 annual places as a Savoy Hotel management trainee. Initial experience was gained as a Savoy hotel butcher, and Covent Garden fruit and vegetable procurement. He started at the age of 17, and the pay was £24 per week. 

5 years would be spent in London, with one single objective. Gaining as much experience as possible. 

Time was spent working in the global hotel icon that is Claridge’s Hotel, Mayfair (Savoy Group) as a waiter, under Restaurant Manager Peter Mand in The Causerie. ‘Global royals and A list celebs as guests, left, right and centre. There wasn’t much room for the making of errors. When I started as a commis waiter, the journey from the kitchen pass was heading for 100 yards, and up flights of stairs, carrying trays with dishes topped with silver cloches'.

In tandem, a cocktail bartending course, and then into the kitchens of Claridge’s. 

'For the first two months, I was the potato guy, it's all I did. Peel them, slice them, dice them.  One day I was peeling away at the spuds and Maitre Chef de Cuisine Slovenian Marjan Lesnik took great exception to me leaning against the sink as I peeled. 'Young man!!! You think you can relax, then think again!!! You are not here to learn how to peel potatoes, you are here to learn patience, and manual dexterity!' ... 'Yes chef!!!'

Nicholas was the first management trainee in history (usually somewhat frowned upon by chefs!), to physically be the fishmonger of Claridge’s, and similarly then first to be in charge of running shifts on a full section within the kitchen, - in this case, the fish section. 

‘This was a kitchen brigade of 80 individuals, so traditional that there wasn’t even a microwave in sight! I absolutely loved my time working in those kitchens, fortunate in the extreme that in sous chef John Williams (now Executive Chef at The Ritz), I had a boss who was willing to give time to encouraging an aspiring management trainee’.

Thereafter, Nicholas was one of 9 chefs in the brand new opening kitchen brigade at what very quickly became the legend, Sir Terence Conran’s Bibendum restaurant, under chef Simon Hopkinson, whose French provincial cooking philosophy was of well-judged simple cooking which he garnered from his influences Richard Olney, Jane Grigson and Elizabeth David. 

'This was a kitchen in which, you could not remove concentration, for a single second. On a couple of occasions I accidentally over-seasoned vegetables, there wasn't a third repeat'.

Simon’s subsequent book, ‘Roast Chicken and Other Stories’ went on to receive the accolade of “the most useful cookbook of all time” by the readers of Waitrose Food Illustrated, and by just about anyone else who has had the pleasure of reading and cooking from it.

'When I first started at Bibendum, I had virtually zero understanding of French provincial cooking. It was a very steep learning curve, I was the only Scotsman in the kitchen, most of the other chefs had worked together in Simon Hopkinson's previous restaurant Hilaire'. 

'The restaurant manager was John Davey, who has just completed 10 years working for Freddy Giradet's 3 Michelin Star restaurant in Prissier, near Lausanne. An absolutely charming man, who remained utterly cool in all circumstances'.

Bibendum? That's the Michelin Tyre Man, the official mascot of the Michelin tyre company.

‘The working hours were basically 8am to 11pm, six days per week, we were absolutely committed. The only way I could physically enable the hours and the travelling back and forth, was to ditch public transport and buy a motorcycle!’ 

Bibendum took the London restaurant scene by storm, and was to be the launchpad for the ensuing Conran restaurant empire.

A first London management role followed, as Assistant Manager of Sherman and Waterman’s South Side Café, a new opening 1950’s style rock’n’roll diner. During that time, Nicholas learnt from a truly great Hospitality boss. ‘Ernesto Zucchi, such an inspirational and kind man, with Italian-based management strategies designed to simplify life, and bring ease to the actual management of chaos’.

South Side was in the first floor of Covent Garden's Jubilee market. 

Thereafter Nicholas became the opening Restaurant Manager at the age of only 21, of London’s brand new groundbreaking The Pelham Hotel, invigoratingly warm, elegant, vintage-contemporary interior design and colour. Owned by Tim and Kit Kemp’s Firmdale Hotels, a hotel company which has gone on to deliver a truly remarkable collection of boutique hotels. 

‘Yes, Blakes existed and so did Dorset Square, but The Pelham Hotel was the first ever hotel in London, to define the combination of a ‘37 bedroom country house’, and service at 5 stars, and the rest. My hotel GM Jonathon Orr-Ewing, was the very epitome of an English gentleman, and his operational standards were certainly the most precise I have ever been asked to work with’.

Then one day, whilst on a London tube train Nicholas was listening to Dougie Maclean’s Caledonia on headphones.

Oh Let me tell you that I love you
that I think about you all the time
Caledonia you're calling me
now I'm going home
and if I should become a stranger
no it would make me more than sad

Caledonia's been everything I've ever had

Scotland was calling. Nicholas returned to Edinburgh and became House Manager of Edinburgh’s Prestonfield House hotel. 

Then started at Balbirnie House at the age of 25, as a company director and GM on 31^st October 1992, becoming company Managing Director in 2005.

Nicholas especially loves personally meeting as many of Balbirnie’s prospective new wedding clients, as is possible. ‘This is always the most special part of my working week’.

In-house record, from late 2011 to autumn 2012, a quite incredible 89 prospective wedding clients in a row, placed their wedding day bookings into Balbirnie’s future diaries, after having met Nicholas to discuss their special occasion. This is denoted on our steak knives. 

Nicholas and his wife, fellow company director Gaynor, jointly became Scotland’s Hoteliers of the Year in 2011.

In 2014 Nicholas was the recipient of The Fellowship, the highest individual award ever bestowed annually, by The Judges of The Scottish Hotel Awards. Presented by Lord and Lady Macdonald of Skye. 

Nicholas plays golf at St Andrews, and has previously held an official handicap of 5 at Balbirnie Park Golf Club.

Nicholas took up running in 2014 at the age of 46, and then joined Glenrothes Triathlon Club, successfully completing the 2018 Edinburgh Half IronMan 70.3 – and then following 5 years and 15,000 kilometres of combined swimming, cycling and running training, completed the full IronMan 140.6 in Austria July 2019. 

'A moment of contemplation, thinking of everyone who helped on the 5 year training journey, whilst tolling the legendary Austrian IronMan bell' 

Subsequently therefore becoming Scotland’s only IronMan hotelier, and the very first Scotland hotelier to be congratulated on becoming an IronMan, by Scotland’s Parliament.

Nicholas and Gaynor have 3 daughters, Anastasia, Isobel and Ruby. 

Oldest daughter Anastasia is studying medicine at UCL.

In his spare time, Nicholas enjoys family walks with Balfour the hotel Cocker Spaniel, reading about future-forecasting in Hospitality, yoga, and he has somehow developed some expertise in relation to Chinese cooking, focussed on the Sichuan province of southwestern China.

Since 2015 Nicholas has been Scotland's features writer on the ultra niche subject of the interface between #DLT distributed ledger technology, and democracy. When you are eventually able to vote for the future on your smartphones, this is where it started. 

In spring 2019 Nicholas became the first man in world history, to deliver the wording for wiring #DLT into a developmental prototype of a written constitution for a country. More on that, another day! 

'Our hotel brigade do not work for me. I work for our hotel brigade. In turn, we all work doing our absolute best for our local community. I have absolutely Loved our first 3 decades of evolution at Balbirnie House, and today in 2019 we are focussed as never before, on the entire future'.

'Working in Scotland's Hospitality sector is simply incredible. Find a job you enjoy doing, and you will never have to work a day in your life'.

Pleased to meet you! 

Motion lodged in The Scottish Parliament! S5M-19516: Balbirnie House Hotel, the Best Destination Wedding Hotel on the Planet'

On behalf of our entire brigade, our most sincere gratitude to Peter Grant MP for Glenrothes and Central Fife, and Jenny Gilruth Member of The Scottish Parliament for Mid Fife & Glenrothes, for sending us Letters of Congratulations. 

We are so incredibly honoured and profoundly humbled to hear that Jenny Gilruth MSP has lodged a Motion of congratulations in The Scottish Parliament. Full info below. This is truly wonderful news for Scotland's Hospitality sector. 

Both letters will now be framed, and shown to everyone who is starting work at Balbirnie House in the future. 

With regards to Motion S5M-19516, the original can be accessed via Balbirnie House Motion and for ease of reference: 

All best wishes, 

Nicholas Russell / MD Balbirnie House