Cleo the Calf

We had our first lecture day today, which was a bit dull later in the afternoon, but, they will only get better from here. The morning started with Darina making Ballymaloe Cheese Biscuits, Red Current Jelly, and teaching us (for about the third time!) how to make a proper pot and cup of tea. I really can’t believe it is something that she would have to teach! We also had our first introduction to Irish Farmhouse Cheeses and talked a bit about cheese in general. I am looking forward to learning much more about cheese!

We were then introduced to Colm McCan and Peter Corr who will be teaching the wine section of the course, we will have at least six classes, and likely more in the evenings. I am quite excited about this part of the course – not that anyone will be surprised by this! We tasted two Chardonnays, one from France and one from Australia, and a red blend. Last week at Ballymaloe House they had a bottle of the red that was opened and corked, so they saved it for us, so that we could compare a corked and an uncorked glass (with our noses!). Colm said, “the corked bottle should smell of an old garden shed that hadn’t been open all winter,” and that it did.

Now to the dull bit, fire safety, which was done by William Cahill, and for such a boring subject, it was quite a good introduction to the topic of fire safety. Darina then talked in great detail about food hygiene, which you would think is common sense… She doesn’t believe in antibacterial sprays of any kind, or use by dates, and really thinks you should have very little in your house with an expiration date, which really is quite a good way to look at it.

This morning I was up early and headed out for the first gardening lecture, we walked through the gardens with Tim and talked a briefly about the different fruit and veg that they can grow on the farm, about organic farming vs. intensive farming, compost, and the importance of good soil. As we were just about to head into the glass house, Eileen came up from milking the cows, so we rushed down (I didn’t know why we were rushing), she had a few buckets, and in we went to a covered part of the pasture, and there were calves. I fed Cleo his morning milk (out of a bucket!), he is one month old, and lovely! They don’t want to let go of the bucket once the milk is gone, and are quite frisky. It was good fun, and I wish I could do it every morning while I am here. It was nice to be out on the farm in the sunlight, and see the pigs, as well as the chickens for the first time properly.

Really can’t believe week one will be over tomorrow, we have invited some people over to our cottage tomorrow night, and will likely head to the local pub in Ballycotton called The Blackbird – where I hope to have my first proper pint of Guiness on The Emerald Isle.

“The quality of wine will stand to your hangover the next morning.” Peter Corr