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It’s once again that time where we proudly announce the member of staff who has stood out amongst all. Our team member of the month goes to our ‘Kitchen Porter’ Christopher Brown!
Chris has worked for the Hotel since July 2009, since his time at the hotel he has clearly demonstrated that his commitment and determination to his job shines through! From washing dishes to helping to prepare for some of our large events, Chris has been a big support to Steve and his team of chefs!
Chris has now decided to move departments within the hotel and will be joining our night’s team later this month. I am sure that he will continue to show great enthusiasm within his new role and be an asset to Kelly and her team!
Please join me in saying ‘Congratulations’ Chris on your well deserved award and good luck in your new position!
Well she couldn’t have picked a busier week to come and join The Dragon Hotel, but our Work Experience girl Katherine made the most of her Week of Work. Organized by Swansea University where she is a Language student, the scheme was set up to help those who didn’t have much experience get an insight into the running of a hotel.
During her days with us, she has got stuck into the cleaning of the rooms (literally getting tangled in the bed sheets . . . but got the hang of it in the end). Attended the meetings after which she had taken in so much information an urgent lunch break was needed, and helpfully created 2 months worth of Hootsuite databases which the staff seemed extremely grateful for!
Most importantly though, she got to talk to most of the people who work at the hotel, who sat down with her and explained their personal roles in detail. This was a great help to her and she is extremely grateful to those who took time out of their jobs to talk to her about their responsibilities at The Dragon Hotel.
Of course the snow arrived, which meant Katherine had the experience of seeing the trouble this bought to working life. However, even though the weather outstayed its welcome she never got the impression that she was doing the same.
Everyone has been so welcoming and friendly! And despite the fact that according to her badge, her name was ‘Work Experience’, they all remembered her name and always took the chance to ask how her experience was going and if she was enjoying her time here.
On the whole, her time with The Dragon Hotel has proved to be a great experience and she has enjoyed every second! She would like to thank all of those who have looked after her in the different departments (there are too many to name!) and a special thanks to the General Manager Catherine Garcia for giving her this opportunity!
She will look forward to seeing you again when she visits the hotel – which after seeing the rooms, will be very soon!!
Hayley is one of our Senior Sous Chefs. She’s the first to be called in for breakfast on the rare occasion that our Breakfast Chef oversleeps (her Bacon & Eggs are second to none so the guests tell me) and also organises the rotas of the kitchen porters, often stepping into the breach herself. Hayley is also our chief dessert maker, for which there are plenty of volunteers for quality checks - just don’t tell Tara in the Gym!
Hayley can often be heard in the Kitchen howling along to Justin Bieber and her favourite song at this time of the year is All I Want for Christmas is My Two Front Teeth – although I hasten to add that hers are intact!
Please join me in congratulating Hayley for winning the Team Member of the Month – November accolade
We were very proud to be the hospitality partner for the ‘Welsh Menu Live Food Festival’ that took place over the Bank Holiday weekend.
On Friday night we hosted the ‘Festival Launch Dinner’, which was a sumptuous 8 course tasting menu featuring some of the 
finest local produce that Swansea could offer.
Hosted by Jamie Owen, he spoke about the different courses and the suppliers that helped us to produce the fantastic dishes. Some of the generous supplies included: Gower Salt Marsh Lamb, Swansea Fish, Abrahams, Goodies & The Choice is Yours from Swansea Market, as well as support from Sainsbury’s.
From Saturday through to the Bank Holiday Monday, we hosted ‘The Welsh Menu Live – Food Theatre’ in association with Swansea Market.
Throughout the weekend, Welsh chefs, food and drink connoisseurs demonstrated their skills to the willing audience. Some of the experts included: Sophie 
Grigson, Fiona Faulkner, Anthony Evans, Jo Wheatley, Luke Thomas, Bryn Williams, Susy Atkins & Gareth Johns.
For those of you who were lucky enough to soak up the ‘foodie’ atmosphere over that weekend, we hope you enjoyed the experience!
Our longest serving F&B Supervisor, Adele Dunstan has worked at The Dragon Hotel since 2006. About to take some annual leave to work as the Artiste Liaison at the Nozstock: The Hidden Valley festival, soon to be taking place in Bromyard, Herefordshire for the 13th year running, Adele has four sisters, including a twin!
Here’s 60 seconds in her company:
TDH:Tea or Coffee?
AD: Tea
TDH: Red or White?
AD: Red
TDH: Escape in the Park or Proms in the Park?
AD: Proms in the Park
TDH: Early Bird or Night Owl?
AD: Night Owl
TDH: Electric or Acoustic?
AD: Ooh…tough…both?
TDH: Tent or Caravan?
AD: Tent
TDH: Maths or English?
AD: English
TDH: Cat or Dog?
AD: …Noah’s Ark…
TDH: Madonna or Lady Gaga?
AD: Madonna
TDH: Fruit Salad or Fruit Cake?
AD: As nutty as
TDH: Marmite: Love or Hate?
AD: HATE!
The whole team at The Dragon wish Chef Sam Thomas, who’s served us well for the last 6 years, the best of luck and success with his new venture – the kitchen certainly won’t be the same without him! But there’s no fear as long suffering Chef Steve Williams is stepping up to spearhead the culinary operations with support from Chefs Kevin Wingrave and Hayley James.
Local lad Chef Steve is no stranger to life at The Dragon Hotel having been here for well over a decade masterminding thousands of Christmas Parties, Weddings and Dinner Dances. Not easily flustered, Steve takes everything in his stride and likes nothing better than to unwind with a few cans of cider over a fishing rod.
Kevin Wingrave could easily have been lost to the culinary world if he had stuck to his first career choice of carpentry. A few too many splinters made Kevlar decide to swap his wood chips for potato chips and Swansea Bay has now sampled his cooking at both Morgans Hotel and 698 prior to his arrival at The Dragon in 2005.
Chef Hayley James is by far the prettiest of The Dragon Hotel’s culinary team and has known Kevin since they attended Neath Port Talbot College together. Deserving a medal for working alongside him for so many years, Hayley is not only our Desserts and Pastry specialist but also manages to stay on top of the dreaded paperwork – a skill seldom found in chefs!
The motley crew that makes up the rest of the team includes:
James Hallett, who also worked with Kevin and Hayley at Morgans and 698, and has once been told he’s a young Heston, a fact that is often repeated…
Adam ‘Ducky’ Harris who waddles around the kitchen busy being Kev’s Golden Boy
Ben Kerward, the wittiest member of the team who knows exactly how to press Chef Steve’s buttons!
There are, of course, a few others who do not wish to be mentioned in this blog and shall therefore remain faceless: Liam, Mark, Bernard, Chris, Ashley, Roy and Liam – you know who you are!
Book your Wedding at The Dragon Hotel and enjoy a Welcome Drink Reception for FREE* ! (more…)
The tag line reads ‘The Best of The Best’ and staff and management at The Dragon Hotel are indeed delighted to be included within this elite group once again. (more…)
