Essays on the Highland trade, argued with evidence. Monday and Thursday mornings.
People & Craft · · 11 min read
I can start work in Inverness without a visa. A chef from Lisbon or Manila can no longer be newly sponsored. And for anyone who can come, the first question is where they'd live.
People & Craft
Who does the work?
1 essay
Economics & Policy
Who pays, and who profits?
First essay on its way
Heritage & Place
Where did the welcome come from?
First essay on its way
of Highland employers reporting recruitment barriers named a lack of accommodation. Who Will Pour the Dram?
homes of all kinds completed in Highland in 2025/26, against the 2,400 a year the council's own forecast needs. Who Will Pour the Dram?
of hospitality employees were paid below the Real Living Wage in 2023. Who Will Pour the Dram?
Sources, cited in full in the essay: Highlands and Islands Enterprise (2025); Highland Council (2025; 2026); Fair Work Convention (2024).
I've spent over a decade on hotel and bar floors in Cork, Dublin and Killarney, five-star and high-volume both. In late November I move to the Highlands, and I'm writing about the trade I'm joining as I go.
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