Autumn and winter menu launches along with our food heroes gallery

It's been a hectic summer, thank you to all of you that have come along to support us and a huge thanks to the team her at the Selkirk for all their hard work.

And in and amongst the bust time we have been beavering away developing our Winter menu which we are delighted to launch for your enjoyment. We have expanded our repertoire in technique by now including water bath sous vide - probably best explained in the short video below 

To prepare food sous vide (say: sue veed), we pick our desired doneness, then set a water bath to the appropriate time-and-temperature settings. The bath is heated just enough to cook the food as we like it, meaning we never need to worry about over- or undercooking it. This technique locks the flavours in and allows us to take for example the rump of beef, marinade it in our treacle marinade, bag it and vac pack it then slowly cook it in the water bath overnight to make a melt in your mouth cut of meat.

So we use the technique now with our Duck dish, marinading it in Galloway Lodge's Whisky Honey Marmalade, sealing it a vacuum pouch and cooking it in the water bath. The result a very tender melt in your mouth duck breast.

It has also been an exciting time in the development of our local food heroes link. We have such wonderful suppliers on our doorstep that we felt the time was right to ensure our customers were aware of the quality and commitment we and our food heroes have to providing simply the best.

Commissioning local photographer Giles Atkinson to creatively capture the true character and persona of local suppliers that the hotel use.

“I wanted to tie together the important link between what we do and our passionate support for the local suppliers. People often perceive us to be expensive, yes we are to some extent because we refuse to buy Argentinean Beef or New Zealand Lamb, we don’t go down the Ice cream from anywhere avenue and we hope the product we serve reflects that. The Horsemeat scandal last year made many people look at what they were eating and where it is from. We have a wonderful selection of local suppliers and we wanted to showcase them to our customers.”

Local food heroes include:

 SHEENA HORNER - GALLOWAY CHILLIES - WIGTOWN

Sheena's Chilli jam is quite amazing, home grown chillies from Sheena's poly tunnels in Wigtown - this is Sheena's story 

In October 2012 after finally having enough of being unable to buy chillies anywhere locally except Jalapeno and Scotch Bonnets, I decided that enough was enough and I was going to do something about it.

I love chillies and there is hardly a day that goes by that I don’t cook with them or use them when baking. So after a couple of months carrying out some research – Galloway Chillies was born on the 1st December 2012.

I am a farmer’s daughter and I am passionate about local and British produce. Therefore I had decided right from day one that only British chillies would be used in my products. I currently make eight types of preserves which are available in five heats.

When they are available my own home grown chilli plants (40 plus varieties) and chillies will also be available to buy but of course this will be limited as I will also need the chillies I grow to go into my own products.

The chilli preserves are made from scratch in my own kitchen in small batches so that every batch is of good quality and flavour.

I hope you will enjoy this journey with myself and Galloway Chillies. Hey, maybe we’ll bump into you soon at one of the many markets and shows we attend.

 FIONA HESKETH - GALLOWAY LODGE PRESERVES

Galloway Lodge Preserves have been producing jam for over 40 years, after Nigel Hesketh starting selling to locals in his small town in the heart of Dumfries & Galloway. The company now supplies both retail and foodservice customers throughout Scotland, has a shop and café in Gatehouse of Fleet and is starting to increase its list of customers in England. For Director Ruaridh Hesketh (Nigel’s son), this growth is thanks to persistence and seeking out the right distributors and Nigel's wife Fiona is still very much hands on in the day to day manufacturing. Thanks Fiona and Ruaridh we just love your products

 ALLAN WATSON - GALLOWAY SMOKEHOUSE

Nestling on the banks of Wigtown Bay is the Galloway Smokehouse, home of prize winning smoked salmon, trout, seafood and game. From the simple kipper to the grand salmon a huge variety of smoked food is on offer.  As well as selling smoked foods, they sell a wide variety of local produce including Galloway honey, jams, pickles, sauces and ice cream.   Some of the fish they catch themselves, some is bought from local fishermen who they know personally, and some comes from further afield.

Allan Watson the owner and smoker says "We know our fish, we are local fishermen ourselves, fishing Wigtown Bay mainly for Sea Bass and Grey Mullet, but we can also catch Flounder, Thornback Ray, Dover Sole, Plaice and Mackerel.  We also smoke our produce on the premises."

"If you would like to have a look around our smokers and have someone explain the smoking process to you, or you would like us to smoke a fish you’ve caught yourself – just ask!  We can also offer a polystyrene box and an ice pack to keep your purchases in best condition if you have a long way to travel –  do ask!  We are here to help!"

Well worth a visit when you come up to the area.

 WILMA FINLAY - CREAM O'GALLOWAY

The Finlay family have farmed at Rainton since the 1920s. Originally we made farmhouse cheese with our milk but in the 60s and 70s mass manufacture made that unprofitable and we reverted mainly to producing milk. Rainton became organic in 1993 and a year later we decided to try something completely different with our milk, using it to create delicious produce to make the most of its rich, creamy flavour.

Cream o’ Galloway ice cream was launched at the Royal Highland Show in 1994. Over the past twenty years we’ve massively expanded our range of flavours, we’ve sold it throughout the UK, and indeed overseas, and we’ve won numerous awards.

However, at the heart of our ice cream, always, is a natural approach to creating food made with normal, real ingredients – no chemical nasties, gums or artificial flavours.

 ALLEN HENDERSON - SULWATH BREWERS

A family run brewery originally started by Allen's Mum and Dad, Helen and Jim. sadly Helen passed away a number of years ago but father and son continue to brew great real ales right here on our doorstep, so good that we were instrumental in the creation of the Grace beer that now goes into making our batter, one for the batter, one for me !! Hic !!! 

Allen says "We take great pride in the production of our products which are brewed traditionally, with no concentrates, colourings or extract and with accent on the taste of yesteryear

When was the last time you savoured the aroma of a mass produced beer, or tasted its wholesome natural flavour?

The name "Sulwath" is the ancient name for the Solway Estuary. This is reputed to date back to a ford, or crossing near the mouth of the river Esk which marked the border between Scotland and England around the 13th Century, and from general usage, the estuary became known as "Sulwath"With the predominance of migratory seabirds in the upper reaches of the Solway."

Come & meet the brewer on their conducted tours every Monday & Friday at 1pm.

 GILLIAN WARDEN - IN HOUSE CHOCOLATES

House Chocolates has built up a reputation for quality and presentation. Gillian Warden owner of In House Chocolates has developed and produced several Gold Award Winning chocolates and with her design background produced a unique gift presentation which was shortlisted for the Scottish Food Excellence Awards on two occasions.

In House Chocolates produces a wide range of chocolates, truffles, a wide selection of chocolate bars, chocolate seasonal lines and kids selections.

All their products are all truly made by hand and the highest quality ingredients are used at all times, their ethos in business is never to substitute quality for cheap imitations. Gillian says

"We are a small company but small is beautiful and our company has built up a reputation for quality, proven in the repeat custom we receive year after year from wholesale and retail clients. "

 SCOTT CARSON - TH CARSON BUTCHERS

Scott looks particularly mean in this great portrait, the truth is he's a gentle giant with a heart of gold.

Scott says "At TH Carson, we're proud of our heritage. We still hold true to the founding principles of the business started in 1933 by my grandfather, Thomas Carson and to the fact we remain a traditional family business to this day.

We specialise in the supply of the very finest quality Scottish meat sourced locally from farms right here in Dumfries and Galloway, south-west Scotland. We have built up a solid reputation with our customers in and around Dalbeattie (and visitors to the area) over the years, something which has been recognised by the many industry awards we have received."

JOHN AND JACKIE KING - WEST COAST SEA PRODUCTS

Another family business now run by John King Jnr and his lovely wife Jackie. How many hotels can get fresh Scallops literally off the boat ?? Well we can and they are amazing, I just love King Scallops.

The story of West Coast Sea Products begins when Mr John King, a lobster and subsequent white fish fisherman, discovered he had a flair for detecting and raising King and Queen Scallops from the Irish Sea.

He invented, patented and produced a new kind of dredge with springs to prevent the teeth snagging on the sea bed and began to fish for the prized catch using strong, powerful, fishing vessels.

In 1968 the firm of Galloway Shellfish was established, initially with fourteen employees.

Mr King discovered there was an eager market for King and Queen Scallops in the USA. In 1966 The Gulf Of Mexico, which was the main fishery supplying the USA was overfished and the Americans started to look elsewhere for product.

In 1971 the company name changed to West Coast Sea Products Ltd, employing 35 members of staff, supplying product mainly to the USA and broke into the French market.

The company continued to expand under Mr King's direction with his son joining the company in 1989 following a successful career as a scallop fisherman. The administrative section has recently moved to larger, roomier premises beside the processing section. The firm now employs almost 150 full and part time operatives.

So - there you have it - our local food heroes and the stories behind them. You can take a look at our new menu on our web site or by clicking the picture below which give you a taster  as to how we have incorporated the portraits into our menus and marketing material.

A huge thank you is also due to WOLFFE design in Edinburgh who have helped me develop this journey with special thanks to Andrew and Rebecca.

And a huge thank you to our Exec Head Chef Paul Somerville and the team in the Kitchen for all their hard work and dedication in bringing this new menu and new direction to life.

Summer menu lunches as sunshine continues

It's probably the busiest weekend for the UK,Wimbeldon, the British GP, the Tour de France from Yorkshire, The World Cup and our summer menu lunch.

After months of planning, trials and tests with sous vide and water bath techniques Head chef Paul Sommerville and team have launched our most adventurous menu yet. We hope you can get along to try it soon.

Using as many local ingredients and suppliers as possible the menu is the pioneer for the local food heroes launch in October where the hotel will showcase all the local suppliers in a photo gallery in the Bistro area. Local photographer Giles Atkinson has been commissioned to take photos of the individual suppliers to try and tie together how passionate the hotel and kitchen team are about sourcing local ingredients.

The menu takes on an authentic look, designed by Wolffe design in Edinburgh the menu continues to link the band product of the Selkirk and establish it as a seriously good food destination in Dumfries and Galloway along side the cosy 17 bedroom town house already established and popular.

You can check out the new menu and download your own copy here http://www.selkirkarmshotel.co.uk/our-menus/

Easter is upon us.... again

DIRECTOR - CHRIS WALKER blogs this week on - "Photographs"

Where does time go ? Another year and it's Easter again.... the sun is shining and the lambs are in the fields, the daffodils are out and the Swallows are here.... It's going to be a good Summer. (Fingers crossed)

I've always been a keen photographer, really just to keep for the record and to look back on and cherish the memories. So as  I have been sorting through 70+ years worth of my Mum's photos I realise how much joy they can bring and how they stimulate memories... but in the modern age of digital media - we really don't have albums the same as we used to.

How many of you still keep up to date photo albums ??

We started life in the early days of digital media with Flickr - still one of my favourites - take a trip down memory lane with some of our older pics here https://www.flickr.com/photos/selkirkarms/

Now we've just joined the world of Instagram - join us here http://instagram.com/selkirkarms
where I'll be uploading some pics from the hotel and also some from our road trip around France and Spain. As a media savvy society we are keen to share and post our pictures to an instant world, but can we ever get them back, can we look back in time and re live the memories ?

But coming back to all the albums my Mother had painstakingly created I realise that we are in danger as a throw away society of losing at least a generations worth of printed memories to the digital age - I air caution to a younger generation - hang onto your pictures, they are a valuable reference point for the next generation. Print them off or create printed albums with them - maybe just one album of events from a specific year but print them off... in the world of digital media, hacking and cloud based storage one can never be too sure if all the digital memories we create will still be there in 10 years.

Sue and I are taking a few weeks off in May to tour through France and Spain to sample, naturally, the French cuisine, fine wine and Spanish Tapas - look out for some interesting pics heading onto Instagram whilst we are away. Douglas and the team are holding the fort and we'll be running a couple of where in the world is this competitions on the hotel's Facebook page in due course.

Wishing you all a happy Easter - don't forget to take lots of family photos... keep well and take care...

Here's a very bonny Highland Coo I came across the other day - can anyone guess where I took this picture ?

CHRIS

March madness, nearly but not quite Lent or a little self discipline ?

Co owner Sue Walker writes for the blog this week....

Once something is said , it cannot be unsaid and  sometimes the consequences have far reaching implications.

Today as 1^st March was upon us I declared to Chris“ I am going to have a dry March “ Well, once he had picked himself up from rolling around the floor laughing.  My indignation set in. “What – you think I can’t do it?” – more floor rolling, clutching sides to contain his mirth , was followed with a bet for £100 being offered.  Of course the bet was accepted and I am determined to prove my strength of character and see it through.

You may be reading this , thinking I am a raving Alcoholic – No, but I do have a very healthy appreciation of the grape and love my wine – Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Grigio, Chablis, Pouilly Fumee,  ………..to name just a few. Well, being in the catering trade all my working life I care to think of it as professional interest and by researching in my leisure time I am developing my knowledge which can only help me in a professional capacity …………… OK I know, a lame excuse, but  sounds good.

So a month of sobriety for me and I suspect much teasing from a few and an insufferable husband who will try and trip me up on the way as he is a tight Yorkshire man, not keen to part with his money !

The £100 will come in very handy now as I have just realised I have washed my IPhone 5 along with the weekly wash – ouch – I really should  get him to increase his bet !!!!

In the big smoke to keep up to speed with social media

Well - here I am - out of my comfort zone of little ole Dumfries and Galloway. I've headed down to the big city, the big smoke - you know London, to the SES social media and marketing conference at the Queen Elizabeth II conference centre.

Why?

Well in order to keep our pencil sharp and keep up to speed with all the latest trends and analytics in the on line world I needed to come to hear the likes of Bruce Daisley MD of Twitter UK and to hear from Google as to the importance of Google +

One of the areas that many of you with web sites will need to be aware of is the need for your site to be responsive ( ours is just being re built thanks to Kyle the Designer ) to make sure it can cope with the mobile and tablet world. 60% of purchases on line and hotel bookings are now done by a tablet device. Considering the first iPad didn't come out until 2010 that's quite an amazing statistic.

So some of the things to look out for in the next year are the growth of google +, ok google and google now. Google ads words will still play an important part in your on line campaign but there will be an increase in image ads as we process image data 60,000 times faster than text.

China now incidentally have 60% of users on mobile devices and only 40% on desktop PCs - what are you reading this on ? I'm typing it on an iPad.

So armed with all this information I and my media marvel buddies Giles and Bruce are running a 2 day workshop next month. You can come as a residential guest or as a day delegate - full details are on the web site just follow the link here http://www.selkirkarmshotel.co.uk/events/social-media-residential-course-11th-and-12th-march-2014/

Galloway wee wildlife wanders - strolls around town

 Pam Woods is a regular customer with us here at the Selkirk and we appreciate her business. But you never really know your customers that well and I was surprised and delighted a wee while ago when she told me all about her Wildlife wanders. The principle is simple - you book a knowledgeable nature guide for a short stroll of your choice of 4 walks in the beautiful Stewarty district of Galloway.

The walks can be from half an hour to as long as you fancy and are all based around the towns of Kirkcudbright, Castle Douglas or Gatehouse of Fleet.

So what are you looking for ? The trick is learning how to look and most walks are suitable for families and disabled as they are on the flat

You can get in touch and have a natter with Pam on 07754801697 or e mail her at woods.pam55@yahoo.co.uk or follow her on twitter @gallwwwanders

Prices are from £6 pp - you'll be surprised what you see and as I was surprised what you find out.

Here's a lovely painting currently hanging for sale at the hotel by local artist Jane Gibson - I just love seeing Deer out on walks - such majestic creatures

A poem to brighten up your day by Sarah Clark

Every month I send out an e mail with all our deals and what's on news and I get quite a few regulars just acknowledging my communication and wanting to say hi which is lovely. Today however I got a rather nice poem written by one of our customers who was here visiting Kirkcudbright last summer.

Many thanks to Sarah Clark for sharing this with is

Reflections of a Walk by the Dee

by Sarah Clark

Driving along the banks of the River Dee

Across the water from Kirkcudbright

We stopped to walk along the shoreline

Enjoying the views and beautiful sunshine

Gathering pebbles as we walked along

Ears delighting in tuneful birdsong

We saw some fascinating things that day

But my favourite I just have to say

Is the magic pond I happened to spot

Formed in the lichen covered rock

In it was the sun reflected in all its glory

It surely must inspire a magical story

Perhaps the mermaids gather there

To use this mirror whilst brushing their hair

The fairies from the banks of the river Dee

Coming along to keep them company

If you meander along that watery way

Make it the right time of day

To see the sun shining bright

Out of the water in broad daylight

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What's on 2014

A happy new year to you all from all the team.

Welcome to our new look blog linking our social media activity with a monthly blog update of what's on and what we have been up to.


We've a busy year ahead as we fast approach Burns Night - a big celebration here at the Hotel as Robert Burns is reputed to have written the SELKIRK GRACE at this very hotel. Now although Wikipedia makes no reference to the Selkirk Arms Hotel, Burns was visiting the Earl of Selkirk who had a home on St Mary's Isle - just outside the town - many references refer to his home but the one of John Paul Jones's letter is most amusing and relates the account of the pillaging of the Silverware at  Earls home in 1778 - it was 16 years later that Burns would visit and write the Selkirk Grace.

So to celebrate here's a video taken from last year's Kirkcudbright Rotary Club's Burns Supper with the excellent Mark Williams ( Of Galloway Wild Foods fame ) and Tam O'Shanter

http://youtu.be/NwHraheZ00I

JANUARY

Throughout January………….

It's back - 2 courses for £10 starts again on Monday 6th January 2014.Available every lunchtime Monday to Friday from 12noon - 2pm.Come and enjoy our amazing value starter and main course menu for just £10.

Tuesday 21^st January – Burns supper with Kirkcudbright Rotary Club

An open event for both Rotarians, their partners and non Rotarians coming together to enjoy a traditional Burns night with good food and excellent speakers. From 7pm price £15pp

Friday 24^th January – Any Excuse of a party – 4 decades of music

What a great way to start 2014 - it's an action packed party with all the hits over 4 decades, 50’S, 60’S, 70’S and 80’s to dance the night away to plus games, a quiz and a delicious 3 course dinner - all for just £25pp or why not come and stay overnight and enjoy a fully cooked Scottish breakfast in the morning for just £60pp

During February

Pie, peas and chips £9.95

Come and celebrate the great British Pie with us - a choice of four award winning pies from local suppliers available very Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday in February at both lunch and dinner. £9.95

Friday 14^th February – Valentine’s Dinner

Be my Valentine - take the one you love out to dinner here at The Selkirk Arms Hotel in Kirkcudbright - we'll be cooking up a delicious 4 course dinner with coffee for £29pp or why not stay overnight and wine, dine and recline for £79pp which includes a bottle of house wine in your room for arrival, Valentine's dinner and a full Scottish breakfast the next day. Booking now 01557 330402

Throughout March

March 7^th – weekend Art course with Peter Jones – 2 nights £249

This creative weekend, providing a unique experience of Kirkcudbright the Artist’s Town, will have both an art historical and a practical element. Visits to the Tolbooth Art Centre and High St Gallery as part of a guided walk around the town will provide context for an illustrated talk later on the Saturday looking at the artists of the so-called Kirkcudbright School.

A sketchwalk, taking in the historic High Street with its fine Georgian Townhouses, at one time said to be the home of over 50 artists, will be the basis for producing finished sketches, which we will share with one another later on. Whilst some experience of drawing and watercolour would be preferable, different levels will be catered for and the emphasis will be on the thrill and pleasure of drawing and painting ‘en plein air’. There will be further opportunities to work around the town, or indoors if wet, and one to one tuition will be provided

2 night package arriving Friday 7th March includes the following for £249

•               Welcome drink and canapés on Friday & Saturday evenings

•               Dinner, Bed & Breakfast Friday & Saturday ( Dining on tables of 8 )

•               Soup and sandwich lunch Saturday and Sunday and teas and coffee breaks

•               No single room supplement

11^th March Social media residential workshop

A 2 day residential workshop for those starting out or wanting more from Social media and how best to use it in their business. Led by Hotel owner Chris Walker and his media marvel partners Giles Atkinson and Bruce Mackenzie there will be a series of presentations, brain storming and information gathering workshops alongside real one to one business planning and social media marketing strategy planning - tailoring the workshop to suit your needs and your current level of social media understanding and use.

·      Arrive Tuesday evening for a welcome drink and dinner before a brief overview on the workshop.

·      Wednesday starts at 9am with breakfast a soup and sandwich lunch and dinner again in the evening

·      Thursday we work through until 3pm prior to departure and again includes breakfast and a soup and sandwich lunch.

·      Topics include, Managing your social media, who, when, where and why, Set up and costs, effective media marketing,

·      The total cost is £350pp with no single room supplement and includes all lectures and tutorials.

Sunday 23^rd March – Murray the Magician

He's back with a Lunchtime and an Evening show - come and join us for a delicious 2 course Sunday Lunch and a show suitable for the kids for just £20 per adult and £10 for the children - or for a more adult and slightly spooky theme join us for a 2 course dinner with coffee instead, again priced at £20.

Lunchtime show - Lunch at 12.30pm - show starts at 2pm - finishes around 3pm

Evening show - Dinner at 6.30pm - show starts 8pm - finishes around 9pm

March 28/29 – Stargazing weekend

Following the huge success of the last five Stargazing breaks hosted by Astronomer Steve Owens we are delighted to announce another two weekends the first in March 28/29 and the second 21/22 November

Price inclusive of Dinner, Bed, Breakfast, Transport to and from the Galloway Forest Dark Sky Park and all talks and lectures from Steve Owens.

£219 per person. No single supplement for single rooms.

We also have another weekend now scheduled for 21^st and 22^nd November

Mothering Sunday – Sunday 30^th March

Traditional Sunday lunch - 3 courses including coffee and tablet £21pp plus a box of chocolates for Mum.

Children under 12 half price, Children under 2 free. Come out and treat Mum this year with a delicious Sunday lunch here at The Selkirk Arms Hotel. Phone now to book 01557 330402 - serving between 12noon and 2pm