What a day! I’m tucked in for the night, going to do a bit more revision for tomorrow morning’s wine exam, and then nod off at a decent hour. Had a really good day in the morning, made Jalousie – a puff pastry treat that is a bit like a strudel, which was filled with...

Missed yesterday’s blog… It was a late night, as is tonight. With the days coming to an end, I feel like I need to pack everything in and enjoy the time with all of the wonderful people I’ve met. After a good morning in the kitchen, a great demo by Pam yesterday...

Woke up this morning to the rain and the wind at Mary’s, we hit the road just before six, and arrived back to the farm at 8:20. The weather was wild here too, but quite mild, it calmed down and we even saw the sun for a bit thi afternoon. I raced home to collect my...

What a fantastic weekend it’s been. Just tucking into bed for the night at Mary’s, we will get up and head back to Shanagarry early tomorrow morning. Yesterday evening we headed into the city for a pint at Tigh Neachtain (a very traditional Irish pub, first Irish...

I seriously, don’t know where time is going. I had a lay in this morning, which was lovely. It’s a typical Irish morning, windy, grey and wet, I’m having a cup of tea and a bowl of granola in the country, but not on the farm at Ballymaloe. I’m at Mary’s house in...

What a long day! I had a really productive morning in the kitchen, I was down for fish and chips with mushy peas – and not the mushy peas that have a grey tinge to them, the real thing, and they are delicious! I started my morning by making focaccia, prepped for the...

Just home from our weekly Wednesday family dinner with The Play Room, Max, Erin, and Theresa cooked a wonderful meal. We enjoyed a few drinks (of course), lots of Ballymaloe conversation, and now it’s time for bed! Today was our lecture day, cheddar cheese and cheese...

I had a really great morning in the kitchen, although it was a bit of an odd one to start. My recipes required pretty much every saucepan in our section, and a Kenwood – which was nearly impossible to get (only because so many of us were making ice cream). I had...

When I landed last night in Cork I thought I could have been in Edmonton, it was so chilly... I woke up this morning to snow - not snow like we know it, bust still snow! I was up early baking brown yeast bread and focaccia, then it was onto lamb curry and frying...

Darina told us about a book by Michael Pollan called, “Food Rules an Eater’s Manual,” early on in the course, I bought it, and only just managed to read it. It takes about thirty minutes to read, and is so worth reading. He goes through 64 rules in 3 different...

Rather than going back and putting photos into the appropriate post, I thought I would just put them all in one post together. On Thursday when we were in Durrus, Chris took us to see his in laws place (his home, and where he will be working when he finishes the...

Friday morning we were all warned that pasta day equals chaos in the kitchen, and that we were all to stay focused. I had a moment of panic thinking to myself… I haven’t packed, I need to shower, and I HAVE to be ready to leave the school at 2:00. Right to it, I...

How beautiful Ireland is? I know it may sound like I am repeating myself, but the countryside here is stunning, and everyday I notice something new. Today was no exception, I saw more of the countryside, the green, the hills, the water, it is all so beautiful. What a...

Tomorrow is the big day… A school outing, we leave the school at 8:45 and are heading to Mahon Point Farmers Market, then to Durrus Farmhouse Cheese, followed by Good Things Café, and finally Urrus Atrisan Foodstore. We are heading back to the school in time for an...

Today’s demo was all about pasta. Gillian Hegarty, head chef at Ballymaloe House popped in to teach us how to make the perfect pasta dough for noodles and stuffed pasta. Rory was along side, and made lots of lovely sauces, from very hearty, to the simplest of sauces...

The weather has changed so drastically over the last few days, the wind, and the rain are both back. It is too bad mum and dad missed out on the mild Irish winter that I have been experiencing, but I think they enjoyed their time in Ireland regardless. I had a great...

A whirlwind few days it’s been, but it’s been a lovely weekend. Can’t believe I haven’t blogged since Thursday night! Hopefully I don't miss anything! I had a great morning in the kitchen on Friday, made what we would call salad rolls with a dipping sauce, and an...

Last week at this time I was sitting writing that tomorrow would be the end of week six… Tomorrow is the end of week seven, and I honestly don’t know how that’s happened! Had a great morning in the kitchen, even if my short crust pastry did decide to crack while blind...

Today was another lecture day with Blethnaid, The Restaurant Advisor. We talked about menu costing in quite a bit of detail, as well as different aspects of catering. Both topics were very informative, and although it was a long day, I do feel that I got quite a bit...

This will be a very short post because it’s half past twelve! Just in from The Blackbird after a great evening. After demo, a few of us made sour dough with wine, cheese, onion chutney and bread – as you do! Making sour dough is quite the process, you have to feed...