Thank you to everyone for supporting the above last night. It really was a fantastic event! Chris Hodgkins is one of the most energetic jazz performers I have ever seen! Great entertainment, great food and lots of smiley faces.

Tom Hunt and Matt McCabe have really gelled in the kitchen and that is showing in how busy we are, even in this traditionally quiet time of the year. I am putting another hole in my belt already, as I know I will need it there soon.

Take Care

Ian

For as long as man has lived in society, hotels have lined his roads, offering weary travellers a safe and comfortable shelter for the night. Civilization evolved, and over the course of the past two hundred years or so, opulent and magnanimous hotels were erected and now stand before our eyes as marvels and achievements of our society. Places like The Savoy in London and the Inter-Continental Hotel in Paris have established themselves throughout their history as bedrocks of prestige and luxury service. The Chelsea in New York City, originally built in the heart of the city’s theatre district, has housed artists for over one hundred years and today remains the hub for a thriving, creative subculture.

In order to prolong this need and tradition, The Carreg will offer contemporary accommodation in the Courtyard from early 2010. There will be nowhere more luxurious than The Carreg to spend your precious nights away. With a contemporary feel, all rooms will be well-designed with guests in mind. With Wi-Fi connections, iPod docking stations flat screen screen TVs, you will be able to stay connected with your loved ones and be entertained 24 hours.

The Carreg Café Bar/Restaurant was founded on four core values: Pride, Integrity, Furthering The Carreg Experience and Having Fun. These core values are the foundation for every Carreg decision from creating its mouthwatering meals to hiring energetic Carreg Crew. 

The Carreg has adopted an unparalleled and extraordinary approach to Guest service known as Unbridled Actions. This amazing culture incorporates social inclusion for disabled guests, developing the whole experience by listening and working with The Carreg Crew, Carregulars, Suppliers and one off diners. Sustainable Farming, Animal Welfare and Nutrition fit into our philisophy of Unbridled Actions and eco-eco.

We also realise we do not know it all. In fact we probably know very little. But we listen, and we learn. Learning is growing, and this is one of our commitments to each other. We also encourage everyone to share knowledge and pass it on. If you think you know enough, chances are you have a lot to learn.

We surround ourselves and our Guests with people who share our values. Understanding that we are in the “people business” serving meals and not the other way around.

Incorporating all of the above, is the only way way we can deliver a quality Carreg Experience, each and every time.

As my new friend, Hannah Kirkpatrick told me ‘It builds Carreg-ter!’

The weather might be making every night miserable right now, but next Wednesday Jazz night is fast approaching. And this isn’t any ordinary Wednesday night, either. South Pembrokeshire Arts Network in the form of Spanjazz are bringing the Director of Jazz Services, Chris Hodgkins, to The Carreg!

Even among seasoned jazz musicians, few performers have a magnetism and mystique quite like Chris Hodgkins.  We are going to be extremely busy, having an artist of Chris’s calibre at The Carreg so please allow plenty of time before the performance starts, buy your tickets early enough from SPAN and gently relax to a fantastic evenings entertainment.

‘Oh what a circus, oh what a night!’ is how the song goes and what a night it is going to be! Tomorrow night, the inimitable Tom Hunt will start cooking at The Carreg! We are delighted to have Tom’s skills at The Carreg, in his home town of Narberth. We are currently working on some fantastic events for 2010 and some great ideas to finish this year off.

After the great response we have had to last night’s ‘Bro’ TV show on S4C, I can honestly say that this is the most exciting phase The Carreg has entered since it has opened! We are expecting a huge rush of bookings with Tom starting with us so please, please book early to avoid disappointment!

Ian

If you enter the Jazz in Wales website you will see the above headline. Look a little bit further down the page and you will see the tour dates, which include:-’Weds 25 Nov – The Carreg, Narberth – 01834 869 323′

I know the phone number isn’t ours: it belongs to Span. So if you want to dine with us on the night then please ring 01834862990 to book a table, but you will also need to buy tickets to see Chris from Span. I hope that is clear but please feel free to comment on any better ways we can do it after this blog.

Please check Chris’ webpage out www.chrishodgkins.co.uk

See you on the night.

Ian 

Yesterday, just as I have done with my daughter a few years ago, I watched my son march through the streets in his Army Cadet clothing to church and then to the Senataph to lay poppy wreaths in memory of fallen peacekeepers. There were brave men from previous wars, current wars and all parts of society laying wreaths as a mark of respect.

As we have done in previous years, we have hung a picture of a poppy on the front of The Carreg as our own mark of respect. Let us hope that as we get wiser as a race, the list of names of lives lost read out at the Senataph does not vastly increase.

We are now offering a delicious ground beef burger on a toasted ciabatta roll topped with mozzarella and salsa, served with Matt’s fantastic hand cut chips. This is part of The Carreg’s exciting new lunch/evening crossover Menu, enhancing The Carreg Experience even further.

Yum!

As a customer orientated business we understand the need for change, it is strange to think how far we’ve come since we first opened The Carreg. The experience is now better than ever, The Carreg Crew are more  just team mates, they are friends, each has an understanding of each other that has made our business run in a smooth, direct and dynamic fashion.

 
Whilst we continue to be strong at what we do, change is happening all the time. This weekend Jethro Lawrence is leaving The Carreg to focus on honing his skills further by working in a big city restaurant. Jethro has been part of The Carreg since we opened and now, along with his girlfriend Georgina, they are setting out to create and enjoy new experiences.

Along with these changes we are talking to various potential Crew members, with the first definite appointment being Joan Davies who is implementing The New Carreg Daytime Experience and ensuring that the entire Carreg Experience remains wonderful. Joan is stepping down as Manager of eco eco to focus on this new role.

So rest assured – this doesn’t mean you’ll see standards falling, in fact it will be quite the opposite. With new faces, a new menu and fantastic new features to The Carreg experience, it will be better than ever!

Ian