Nicholas Russell to deliver media on 1320 miles #TheLongWalkToFreedom

Back in 2018 we published an extensive blog which confirmed I was going to deliver media reporting, and participate on that year's 500 miles blockchain walk. Specifically, due to my previous and ongoing delivery as Scotland's 'by circumstance' features writer on the ultra niche subject, of the interface between blockchain aka distributed ledger technology, and democracy. 

Since 2015: 

That 2018 post can be read here. 

The final summary of the 500 miles walk, and what it achieved, including a summary of Motion being Lodged in Scotland's Parliament by Jenny Gilruth MSP for Mid Fife and Glenrothes, can be read here: 

Fast forward two years. In the interim and as 2015 founder of YesDayScotland ongoing, I've been directly involved with multiple projects since then. 

This has included the honour of delivering first-in-world wording for wiring distributed ledger technology into what is currently in a holding status as the developmental prototype of a written constitution for Scotland, via project leader constitutional scholar Dr Mark McNaught. 

Main website and constitution itself. 

Delighted to confirm today that I'll be repeating the generalities of 2018, and I'll be heading on voluntary secondment once again, as one of ten 2020 core walkers. I'll be delivering media on the forthcoming 1320 miles project, which is headlined as 'The Long Walk To Freedom'. Main project website for infrastructure, mapping, interactive, volunteer networks and peripheral events, here. 

Over the last year and more, I've been one of the core admin involved with developing the scope of what is now termed as Scotland's 21st century National Covenant. There have been many citizens who have voluntarily deployed their resources and time, to deliver the finalised capabilities. My input has been with regards to architecture, and very specifically, all detailing with regards to all aspects regarding Ethereum blockchain signature processes. 

The Ethereum chain itself, can be viewed by anyone here. 

Here's an excerpt: 

Looks boring admittedly, but that's until you realise the enormity of how it's going to so profoundly influence the future. And what it can do today. 

I am so very honoured, and humbled, to have been able to deliver opening media on the technical detail of the project itself. This has extended to yesterday, and to the publication of a major article, which is our fourth blockchain article for Scotland's largest business network, Business for Scotland. 

Read via: 

Plan to gain independence via Scotland’s Blockchain Covenant explained

Project organisers for the 1320 miles project have asked core walkers for a reason from those who are wishing to participate. I'm there for all aspects re blockchain democracy, and have delivered a further article detailing key aspects. 

I have huge ongoing commitments at Balbirnie, especially due to how we are needing to work during the challenges of restricted social distanced trading. As things stand, I'll be covering the walk's week 1 in full, onwards from the Eilean Donan start line 18.9.2020, and then will hope to somehow be able to complete 500 miles within the entire duration of the 1320 miles walk. 

Best wishes one and all, Nicholas 

Balbirnie House breaks the in-house wedding booking record! Again!

It's with a measure of total disbelief that I'm typing this morning! Because in context and timing, what I'm about to detail is something which has never happened before at Balbirnie House, and that's saying something! 

Traditionally, our very busiest time of the year for incoming wedding enquiries, starts on the 27th December. It's the same every year, and it happens due to the fact that so many couples get engaged over Christmas. This then continues, and we always have 3 very, very busy weeks of new enquiries. It can be a very frustrating process for couples who only wish, for example, a Saturday in the next 18 months, because these dates will already be pre-booked by other clients. 

January each year? Surf's Up! 

We maintain meticulous records for all incoming new client enquiries. 

Hospitality with a capital H. And if we make new history, we celebrate! 

Original image below ⬇️ via Rob Thomson / Lifetime Photography: 

And on the subject of in-house records, back in 2012 I personally met 89 prospective future wedding clients in a row, who all then subsequently placed a future booking into the Balbirnie House future Special Events diary. I said back then that we'll never see that particular record surpassed, and it certainly still stands today! No need to engrave new steak knives!

So here we are today. We are absolutely over-the-moon to confirm that we have a new monthly record. Much to the accumulating surprise of our wedding planning team! 

And we kept going! 

During August 2020 we took brand new bookings for 26 future weddings. Staggering, but there it is. 

This has never happened before in history, let alone happened in summer. To see this unfolding circumstance occur when we don't even know when we can resume with providing the backdrop for non-social-distancing weddings, it really is an astonishing circumstance. 

Why and how has it happened? Five thoughts on this. 

Firstly, there are many hotels which totally mis-managed the total chaos of the Lockdown for their wedding clients, March 2020 onwards. Subsequently therefore, reputations tarnished in the small world of online recognition for hospitality and consistency. We can only look back now on the amazing work that our wedding planning team put into doing every single thing in our capability, to go a country mile and all the rest to work with our weddings clients in such a caring, thoughtful, structured and cohesive way. It was literally, the moving of a Hospitality mountain, and it continues today with a rolling process of review for all clients, 12 weeks in advance. Some of our wedding clients moved eg from April 2020, to August 2020, then October 2020, and onwards further. Underlined, the 26 figure above is not for re-scheduled clients, it's only for brand new clients. 

Secondly, in what is very clearly now an accelerating set of catastrophic circumstances across the span of Scotland's entire hospitality sector, those clients who are seeking to book a wedding venue in say 2022 or 2023, are very much seeking measures of comfort and faith, that their intended wedding venue will still be in business. We don't have a crystal ball for the future of the global pandemic, but Balbirnie House is certainly fully re-financed today, and the same as all wedding venues, we're very patiently waiting for new government updates. 

Thirdly, many wedding venues have sadly not been able to afford to re-open, and do not envisage re-opening. We have had many enquiries from couples who have been told that their wedding venue elsewhere is in that unfortunate status, and their originally intended wedding cannot therefore proceed. 

Fourthly, our new 2020 wedding literature has such a range of offering and value, it has taken a few months of settling in, for prospective new clients to realise what happened. Balbirnie House was the recipient last year of the Haute Grandeur award, for Best Destination Wedding Hotel, in the global category. Our management team have therefore felt it more important than ever before, to do all we can to offer value, in conjunction with all aspects of every client journey, intended fully in such a caring, helpful and thoughtful way. This is beyond the remit of 'simply planning a wedding day', extending to help clients visualise the possibilities, and prepare for the many emotives, additionally these days into elements of sensory perception. 

Fifthly, as news of Balbirnie's continued 14th time annual success and status as Scotland's Wedding Hotel of the Year, and double 2018/ 2019 global Best in World awards has progressed through our literature and history, many prospective clients are automatically ruling out other potential wedding destinations, as this aspect of romance is certainly now absolutely unique to Balbirnie House. 

So, a huge congratulations all round for Balbirnie's brigade, a new commemorative photo commissioned for our wedding planning team, and our sincere gratitude to the 26 couples who booked in August and will be getting married in the future. 

All best wishes, 

Nicholas / MD Balbirnie House 

10,000 orders by App! Balbirnie's 2020 Hospitality Revolution!

If you had told us in early March 2020, that we'd be writing this article today, we would certainly have raised our eyebrows! 

No physical menus. Nobody to take food and drinks orders. No handwritten check orders being run to our kitchens. No cash accepted. Nobody creating guest bills, nobody physically accepting guest payment. WiFi everywhere in the gardens. Basically, a Hospitality Revolution!

And as for dining, Bistro al Fresco in the gardens! 

And not only the above combination, but in a timeline July 6th 2020 onwards and lasting less than 8 weeks, that we would successfully process over 10,000 guest orders, using an App? Or rather, THE Balbirnie House Hotel App. 

This was created for Balbirnie, by Criton:

A dozen of our brigade were on duty on opening day. We said on our social media channels that we could only begin to bring our other colleagues back to work, if we were able to justify this, based on how busy we would be. 

Our re-opening was certainly assisted by a lovely article in The Courier: 

Every single component was focussed on what we thought we could deliver for our local Fife community, emerging from Lockdown. Great food and drinks, great value. Savings enabled by technology, but deployed into increasing Hospitality even further. 

The initial dozen focussed everything we had in Hospitality, knowing that what we were about to deliver, could or could not help bring our colleagues back to work. 

What amazed us on opening day, was the fact that arriving guests weren't only familiar with the concept of the App, it was the fact that they had already downloaded it, and were already familiar with the menus, and even the overview of how to process an order. 

Bistro al Fresco wasn't a matter of opening up and starting. It was a couple of months in planning, conceived by those who were still working during March to July Lockdown. 

We shifted all reservations into ResDiary. 

In tandem with ordering via Hungrrr.

Our guest reviews for the first two weeks were basically 100% guest delight. 

As news of al Fresco then started bringing guests from beyond our core of regulars, this did bring a few further reviews which brought the technology into question, specifically if someone was for example trying to download the App, on a phone which was so old that it was incapable of doing so. 

Fundamentally, one of the main reasons for transitioning to App, was to deliver contactless service between brigade and guests, and the next reason was to be able to collect guest information for what we thought would eventually turn into a 'track and trace' system for Scotland Hospitality. We were correct! 

Some guests were disillusioned about having to input their payment information, at the point of placing each phase of order. But we worked with the technology suppliers to successfully then customise this into a one submission process. 

Other guests were disillusioned that there was no way to leave a gratuity, so again, this capability was customised. 

Very quickly after the opening days, we started getting busier, and busier, and busier. Watching guests arrive one after another, and being visibly so happy to be out after Lockdown, in many circumstances meeting friends and loved ones after months apart, well that was such a joyful aspect for us to see. Recognition that we'd gone a country mile to deliver safe social distancing for service, was certainly another. 

Our previous food and drinks service systems were designed to cope at ground floor level, with up to 100 guests. Quickly, as we began to bring more and more colleagues back to work, we needed to change systems, to create workflows capable of handling up to 350 guests per day. In amongst all of this, fully incorporating all new Covid-related and social distancing requirements. 

In many circumstances our working roles also changed. Personally, my own resources at outset were best deployed on The Pass, which is the focal point at which food transitions from kitchen, to front-of house service. Basically, 6 chefs delivering dish after dish onto a hot stainless steel 2m x 1m, and 'building' individual trays leaving the kitchens, with all cutlery, gourmet salts, accompaniment and dressings, at a rate designed as one tray per minute. You will either run The Pass, or it will run you! 

And there I have stayed, on The Pass since the beginning of July. 85 hours at work a week! In the two months, literally, I've only taken one day off work, as it was my birthday! To be honest, I've not wanted to take time off, because firstly I've enjoyed it so much, secondly we're doing absolutely everything we can do to begin to recover, following the £1M cost of suspended trading, and thirdly we wish to remain in business! 

In so many ways, a re-connection with Hospitality, taking this 53 year old back to being a teenager working as a chef in London kitchens. 

The view to the right:

And, the view to the left: 

Each printout, a multiple course meal for each table, all needing to be coordinated at the same time. Potentially up to 30 tables each 2 hour session. 6 sessions per day. (GDPR compliant image for Vibe Manager)

Bistro al Fresco, and its variants inside the house when we also opened for that mid July, have been a truly epic adventure in Hospitality. And it has been a profound experience for this hotelier, bearing witness to the combined efforts of our brigade. 

Some hoteliers might have sat back and simply continued as is, when we began to achieve delivery for 300 guests per day. To the contrary, at that point we pressed the pedals further, and began introducing more new dishes, and better new dishes. This has been a quite amazing exercise in consistency, and I especially pay tribute today, to the efforts of Executive Chef Oscar Sinjorgo, and our entire kitchen brigade. 

At 19.59 on 29th August 2020, we received App order number 10,000!!! It was a pleasure to personally serve those two Classic Prawn Cocktails, and of course, we despatched a bottle of Champagne, on the house. 

I really don't have the words to thank community for such support over these two months. On behalf of all at Balbirnie House, thank you is all I can say.   

And facing the continuing future, and ongoing social distancing mixed into autumn and winter ahead? We're basically going to shift Bistro al Fresco inside, into Ballroom Bistro, sub-titled 'food in the woods', taking everything we've taken this to thus far, and then adding even more ahead. 

A totally new take on Fixed Price 2 and 3 course lunch deals, a brand new take on Afternoon Tea, unprecedented gourmet sourdough Pizzas from our new Italinox oven, and also for the first time in our 3 decade history, a brand new offering of fondue. Our version, we're rolling with a blend of gruyere, fontina, and gouda. 

'Knock, knock!'

'Who's there?'

'Fondue!' 

'Fondue who?' 

'Exactly!' 😘

Ladies, tradition has it that if you drop something in the fondue (subject in 2020 to social distancing), you need to give every guy at the table a kiss! Gents, if you drop something in the cheese, you need to buy everyone at the table a round of drinks! By Balbirnie App!!! 😂

Còsagach and Hygge ahead!

During August 2020, incredibly in the context of timing and global pandemic circumstances, our wedding planning team have taken future bookings for 20 weddings. Nobody knows when we will be able to cater for weddings without social distancing in place, so in the meantime (and continuing to provide a 12 week rolling review for all wedding clients), we'll be continuing doing all we can for the evolution of Balbirnie's Bistronomie. 

Al Fresco has been so much fun, to conceive and deliver. We've had so many people asking us to repeat again next year, so we're going to have a very careful think about how we could perhaps do this, but it would only be potential to do so at times when our many weddings are not using the gardens. 

With the nights now drawing in, our 8pm table guests in the final weeks are arriving with blankets, into darkness, with table centre heat lamps, and the spectacular backdrop of the house lit by LED. Summer 2020 Hospitality we'll never forget you. 

With all best wishes from the brigade, 

Nicholas 

MD Balbirnie House 

2020 summer Memories were Made of This: 

The cherry on the top. Baked Alaskas, centred with vanilla ice cream and raspberry sorbet.

Bang Bang chicken.

Passionfruit and Mango Trifles with white chocolate shavings and popping candy, served of course in a beautifully chilled glass. 

Chicken Liver Pate Parfait, with Cumberland sauce. 

(Pate sealed with a very thin pouring of clarified butter)

Ciara McCulloch with the very first outgoing Baked Alaska, prior to the cherries being deployed! 

*Ends*

The Safeguarding of Balbirnie House

It’s a six Zero hit, but we’re ready for the new future.

Friday 20th March 2020. A night we’ll never ever forget. Shutdown!!! 
The next day’s bride had already checked into our Pearl Suite, and it wasn’t even as straightforward as that. You see, the bride and groom had already ‘lost’ their initial intended wedding elsewhere due to the Thomas Cook travel company having collapsed into administration. Our company directors had heard of these tremendously sad circumstances and so we had offered to step in and gift the entire wedding, from Balbirnie House. All I could say to the tearful bride was, ‘We are so saddened we do not have the words, but we will look forward to re-scheduling, and it’ll be the third time lucky!’ 

30,000 people saw the first post 30 minutes later:

After that, I put ACDC’s ‘Hell’s Bells’ on repeat on my car sound system at full tilt, and headed home for the night, beginning to think of what we’d need to do to safeguard Balbirnie’s future. 

Absolutely devastated for Saturday's and Sunday's weddings, and thoughts immediately with all future clients. 

Poignantly and so very personally, thoughts with our entire brigade, and their families reliant upon income. Families with children. Bills to pay. A few days left before their rent or monthly mortgages would need to be paid. Company directors the source of ensuring it happens. It's easy to panic when faced with such a challenge, but our underlying foundations were strong, so ... shoulders to the wheel and onwards we go. 

This mindset: 

Unlike many industry colleagues, we were fortunate in 2020 foundations. Firstly, a few years ago we’d shifted our entire company banking over to HSBC, specifically because of the facts that (a) they tend not to bank independent hotels (as it’s a high risk sector) - therefore those they do work with tend to already be on very solid financial status, and are fully supported on that basis (b) at outset they were as enthused as we have always been, about helping us preserve and improve Balbirnie House, as one of Scotland’s most treasured Grade A Listed national treasures. 

Secondly, in 2020 we had a sub 40% Loan to Value. 

Thirdly, our company management team had delivered basically, what we were told by CreditSafe Credit Rating earlier in 2020, as the best credit rating they had ever seen for an independent hotel. 

Fourthly, over more than a decade, our company directors had been working with ongoing consensus, that we should do all possible to roll into the future maintaining a continual current account cash surplus, envisaged ideally at between £200,000 and £250,000 - believe me, if you can run a company like this, you can usually sleep at night. The financials are protected, everyone’s job is secured, and prioritised reinvestment is dictated by how much cash you have in the bank, and how much you think you are going to have in the bank! Cash kept in the bank permanently, no overdraft required! 

After shutdown, the assistance from HSBC was immediate, focussed and very resourceful indeed, via Relationship Manager Scott Shankland, and Jan Campbell, Deputy Area Director, Business Banking Scotland. We were immediately offered a most welcome 6 month break from making traditional capital repayments. This was supplemented by immediate and ongoing assistance also, from EQ Chartered Accountant, as partner Mark Gibson has audited our annual accounts for many years. 

Perhaps sections of the general public thought that hospitality industry hibernation costs would be minimal? Today’s Blog certainly defines that’s not the case. 

Without any cash coming in, there are the many suppliers who needed to be paid for previous supplies. To deliver for all employees within the scope of the UK furlough scheme, you need actual funds in the bank, to pay all employees first before then reclaiming. 

To say the least I was shocked beyond belief to see industry colleagues elsewhere immediately losing their jobs back in March en masse, in some circumstances from what appeared to be from the employment of companies run by high net worth individuals, or companies with high asset values. Those who made those decisions will live with those decisions for the rest of their lives. Reflecting on timeline, I know for sure, entire brigades lost their jobs, without employers taking time properly investigating re-financing prior to making that first furlough payment. 

You then have all ongoing fixed costs, financing costs, banking costs etc etc. Any employees still employed would need to be paid regardless. In our circumstances, wedding planning team, accounts, gardening and grounds, and in-house security all needed to keep going. 

Insurance for Business Interruption? All insurers across the span of Hospitality stated they would not provide any payments. As our intermediary insurance broker remarked at the point of Lockdown, 'Insurers won't make any payment, so for the hospitality sector it's going to be the survival of the fittest!' I confirm today that Balbirnie House is now one of hundreds of businesses in potential future combined Class Action via London legal firm Mishcon de Reya. 

We initially calculated that we would be losing £6,400 per day for the first 3 months of suspended trading, and then £3,300 per day thereafter. Thereafter, we would need to make some reinvestments for re-opening, and over and above  that also pay the financial way for cash flow.

Current account surplus, gone in days! Vamoosh! 

CBILs: CoronaVirus Business Interruption Loan scheme via HSBC delivered a new £300,000 debt facility (repayable in 6 years), plus a new £200,000 overdraft facility. Underlined, CBILs is only accessible for companies that can meet specific criteria, including being able to deliver operating budgets and cash flows evidencing ability to repay! 

Then, add the loss of all positive cash flow which would have otherwise been incoming, for April, May and June 2020, extending further until we know when we can fully re-open for non social distancing trading. 

The combined implications are certainly already in the ballpark of £1 million. 

Setting aside the generalities of the UK furlough scheme for covering wages, how much have we successfully claimed in Grant Assistance? There are seemingly 2,500 Scotland tourism and hospitality businesses with annual rateable value above £51,000, therefore above the threshold for receiving any grant whatsoever. It is totally staggering that this remains the case today. This entire tranche of Scotland tourism and hospitality, basically thrown under a bus. Unless you can borrow more cash as we have been able to do, or have additional cash to hand, you are finished, basically. 

EQ Chartered Accountants recommended we apply for a Grant within the Scottish Enterprise Pivotal Enterprise Resilience Fund, quote ‘for firms which are vital to Scotland’s economy’, and we proceeded with this. It was a significant submission, and we were over-the-moon, and the rest, to be told two weeks later that we had received assistance of £85,000 - whilst less than 10% of the impact we have seen, this sum will be absolutely vital for supporting our successful re-opening. 

Stephen Montgomery, Scottish Licensed Trade Association, writing on The Scottish Hotels Covid-19 Action and Support Facebook Group: 

So, we are now most thankfully fully financed and ready to re-open. The 2020 financial circumstances will set Balbirnie House back a few years, but the important things to mention today, are that we’re so very thankfully still in business, and we fully envisage continuing. 

Additionally: 

The hospitality, passion and determination from our wedding planning team has been epic. We have successfully helped more than 80 wedding clients re-schedule with new future Balbirnie House dates, in what is now a rolling program of review, enabled and carefully managed through 18 phases of Policy and Status updates. As and when we can fully deliver non social distancing weddings, it may be the case that in the following 12 months we’ll see Balbirnie House provide the backdrop for 185 weddings. 

Specifically and only from Hospitality perspectives, there will be hotels which are remembered for how badly they handled the pandemic, and to the contrary there will be hotels which are remembered for how well they handled it. Writing today, I certainly know that we've truly delivered our absolute best for every single future client, many of course who have found themselves in amongst the most incredibly challenging circumstances. 

On behalf of our company directors, a massive thanks to Scott Shankland, Jan Campbell, Mark Gibson, and internal accountant George Russell. 

Signing off today, our brigade's hospitality heads and shoulders proudly high, Balbirnie House fully safeguarded, and most importantly of all, our entire brigade 100% intact and ready to get back to serving our community. 

We're starting with brand new external dining on Monday 6th July, with hotel accommodation opening 15th July. Our opening team is 15 strong, and our ability to get the other 70 of the brigade back to work depends absolutely, on how busy we are going to be. 

Thereafter, our company directors are fully committed to the entire future, in the further knowledge that we'll need to be making enhanced outgoing payments, to cover what we've had to do to bring stability and enable re-opening. 

We'd therefore very much appreciate any and every single guest visit ahead. 

It's also a new future we're now looking at, with completely dedicated online reservations, food and beverage ordering via App, and payments across-the-board via digital as opposed to cash. 

Embracing necessary change, without ever losing sight of where we've come from, and certainly since March 20th, what one and all have all been through. 

On behalf of the brigade, we are together, Yours in Hospitality,

Best wishes one and all, 

Nicholas Russell / MD Balbirnie House 

Within a few hours of this Blog post going live, it was created into the day's main splash via Hotel News Scotland. 

Balbirnie House: £1m loss but ready for the new future

PS (We live in hope ⬇️)

Balbirnie House - Scotland's 2020 Wedding Hotel of the Year!

In the week leading to 26th April Balbirnie House was notified that the 2020 Scottish Hotel Awards would be taking place in The Virtual World. 

The brigade were then informed of this, via our Closed Group 'Balbirnie Buddies' Facebook page, which we have in situ during lockdown, to keep everyone fully appraised of progress whilst trading is suspended. 

So, on the Sunday evening for the awards ceremony, the team got our kilts, tuxedos, gladrags and ballgowns on, grabbed some 'refreshments', and headed on over to meet for the awards ceremony via Zoom video and audio. 

For those who attended, it was to be a 4 hour conversation which I'm very sure, none of us will ever forget. 

Vibe manager Angela Ferguson and Special Events Sarah Rees were delivering a continual flow of information from The Scottish Hotel Awards Facebook page. 
A few screen grabs taken prior to the dancing starting: 

Next morning:

Truly remarkable circumstances. Yet again! 

And so, into the newspapers: 

Fife Free Press: Fife hotel breaks records with 14th award

(Image credit via Isobel Russell)

The Courier: Balbirnie House Hotel clinches top wedding accolade for record-breaking 14th year

Image credit via Rob Thomson/ Lifetime Photography.

Well, over the last 12 months we've certainly found ourselves in unexpected circumstances, thereby delivering an ongoing flow of information for the judges of The Scottish Hotel Awards scheme. 

Worth highlighting, Best Wedding Destination Hotel on the Planet.

Our 3 decades of Hospitality summarised in under 20 minutes on YouTube - Today is Not a Dress Rehearsal for Tomorrow. 

Following which, we saw Balbirnie breaking new ground with The Contemplation of Social and Sensory.

And so, onwards we go. 

The in-house tradition of having multiple team meetings every last Tuesday of the month 12 noon - 4pm, considering our ongoing evolution continues, albeit we're paused during this temporary lockdown. These meetings tend to be about remaining ahead of the curve, continually embracing change as we always need to keep finding new ways to work, without losing sight of where we've come from. 

Nearly every single wedding client 27th March - 19th July 2020 has now successfully postponed and re-scheduled their intended special days. We continue to remain in a very carefully managed holding pattern, working with future clients one week at a time, allowing for at least 2 calendar months of contemplation. And stating the very obvious, we cannot wait for the day that we can welcome our colleagues back to Balbirnie, and then open again for guests. 

As part of our evolution, at the point of suspending trading, we were about to go live as Scotland's first hotel to deliver a completely new approach to how we highlight our wedding and banqueting menus, with a full shift into online and visual. 

So, this will be the first part of our updates for the consideration of judges for the 2021 Scottish Hotel Awards!

A quick taster of this project, and a massive thanks to Executive Chef Oscar Sinjorgo, our kitchen brigade, and all of the team who have been involved with delivering this unprecedented project in conjunction with Naomi Vance Photography.

As always over these recent years, we are so very inspired by the Archie Forrest artwork collection throughout Balbirnie House, Scotland's leading contemporary Colourist painter's 'Electricity with Paint' focussing us each day on vibrant colours. 

For the first time ever, here's a snapshot of what our new 2020 banqueting would have been delivering 1st May 2020 onwards, and will be delivering when we fully re-open. 

5 contemporary Scotland food photographs, from 300 taken on the day! 

Showing future clients how individual dishes 'fit together' within the structure of a multiple course menu: 

This main course below is Breast of chicken 'Vallee d'Auge', with caramelised apple, mushrooms and a Calvados creme fraiche sauce. It's our best selling banquet main course, of all time! 

Best wishes one and all, and congratulations to all 2020 Scottish Hotel award winners. 

Nicholas / MD Balbirnie House