Neglect!

I know I know, I have been very bad and have neglected this blog for two weeks! Sorry to those who are enjoying it, I promise to do better!
It has been a very good two weeks here in sunny Cork, from a cooking perspective at least. The course has gathered pace again and the final week is upon us. Only one more day in the kitchen left and then its only exams left to do.
The week seems pretty hectic and the format is the following;
Monday - Normal day in Kitchen
Tuesday - Morning lecture and visit to Ballymaloe House
Wednesday - Practical exam at 8.30am
Thursday - Study
Friday - 3 written papers
After much deliberation I have also decided my menu for the practical exam, it is as follows;

Pea, chilli and coriander soup, served with sour dough

poached Irish salmon with hollandaise sauce, buttered spinach and spring onion mash

Lemon Posset with Ballymaloe biscuits and crystallised lemon peel.

3 hours, tasting session and then it will be all done.
So it will be a hectic week but I guess 3 months of Ballymaloe should adequately prepare you for this and to be honest I am quietly confident, the menu is quite simple which means that it must be nailed at every level. I did however cook some of it last time I was up home and it went quite well bar a few hiccups.
Other than stressing for the exams there has been quite alot going on here in Ballymaloe. the weather has turned pretty cold, the roads are shockingly dangerous but we have had very little snow, a minor flurry about a week ago but other than that nothing. Given that we are in the middle of nowhere, and living a very idyllic country life, a bit more snow would have been a welcome addition. I bet those of you, particularly in Scotland, who are knee deep in snow at the moment are cursing me right now. I also had my birthday here this week past, it actually was really good fun if a little embarrassing. The day started with Loopy (a friend on the course) making me a mini Puff pastry gateaux for my birthday, I then went for a walk to ease my back and the whole of the demo kitchen lot burst into happy birthday and gave me another cake. I stupidly though that would be the end of it, but no, at the start of demo, all 62 people in the room sang happy birthday and I had to go to the front to be presented with my (heart shaped) meringue including candles from Darina!!! I was suitably mortified. Then that night we had about 30 people at our house as Steve (one of my buddies on the course) and I had decided to have a few beers to celebrate our birthdays (his is next week) and everyone came round. There were cakes, beer, wine and chilli and the night finished off in the pub. I had a great time and stayed off the booze for the most part because of my pain killers.
So the time for study has arrived, I am going to make a big effort to make it through till the end of the course, the back is really bad but only 5 more days of class and 11 more till my operation. I will definitely keep this blog going for a while yet, particularly when in China and next week I will attempt to upload alot more of the photos I have as some of them are excellent.
That's me for now, all good here in Cork, hope you are all doing well,
Peace
T

The final countdown

Week 10 has commenced and exam fever is starting to hit. Final choices for our menus need to be in on Thursday morning and all the talk is about what everyone is cooking. Keeping it simple and flavourful is the order of the day and I am wavering between a few dishes, I will keep you updated on my choices. The process seems simple enough, 3 hours, 3 courses and a lottery bread which will be chosen for you the day before, however as the day approaches my natural instinct to question everything is kicking in. As well as all that, we have 3 written papers, another herb test and a wine exam to get through.
Only 8 more days of cooking though and that is a bummer, it has been so much fun cooking different things everyday and I have enjoyed that aspect of the course so much. I am in kitchen 3 at the moment and the teachers are great and we are now all trying to cram as much as possible into our days, I am in the kitchen from 8am every morning and my approach at the moment is to try and complete as many dishes as possible that I feel will be relevant in Shanghai. So the next few weeks will be very busy as I try to get as much out of the course as possible.
The last two weeks have been really good, last week I made my first attempt at pasta when I made pumpkin and ricotta ravioli, it actually turned out really well and is something I would love to do more of. I have also made more sour dough bread and tomorrow I will be making ciabatta. Pan fried fish was on the menu last week and I had another go at filleting, it actually went quite well and the haddock actually looked like a fillet of fish when I was finished! Result!
This week looks really busy, Wednesday is canape ans sushi day and Lamb is on the menu on Thursday and Friday.
So, full steam ahead for the next 3 weeks, spot of rugby this weekend and then head down for the following two weeks and perhaps a bit of studying!
I will update you later in the week and let you know the menu!
Peace
T

4 weeks to go!!

Can it only be 4 weeks to go? Seems crazy that the adventure in Ballymaloe is nearing its conclusion, whats even more crazy is the fact that I should really be able to cook by now!!
So week 8 is out of the way and we are on the cusp of week 9. Last week seemed to fly by and I am now struggling to remember what I cooked and tasted. Steaks were a highlight, with a delicious Bearnaise sauce and crispy onion rings, we also learnt all about cheese souffles which are actually much easier to do than one would think. I have also been making sour dough bread which takes about 9 days to complete, well worth the effort though, I really like this bread. Once you have made it once, the time taken to make it reduces significantly as you keep back whats called a starter. This will be used as a basis for all my sour dough from now on, the beauty of it is that it will constantly improve and get stronger thus making better bread. I also made praline ice cream which is quite possibly my favourite thing in the world and how simple it is to make, you don't even need an ice cream maker! So in general week 8 was a treat, I was also paired up with my flatmate Charlotte which was great fun, she spends most of her time making sure everyone is alright and she was a pleasure to work with.
I also made a trip up to Ballymaloe to see some of the family, I bumped into Myrtle Allen again and we had a nice chat. I really wish my back was better as I do feel that I am missing out just a little on the opportunity to spend a bit more time up there helping out and working but alas it is not to be, maybe another time after my adventures in China. I think I would really like to spend a bit more time down this way some time in the future, it really is a relaxed pace of life and the people are great, who knows what the future has in store.
On a much more negative note, I have also had to sit through two excruciatingly long weekends watching that excuse for a rugby team get run ragged all over a half empty Lansdowne Rd. What makes it slightly worse was that I had to do this with Steve, a South African supporter who was delighted that his second string team beat us. If what happened last night at Murrayfield (snigger!!) is anything to go by, the weekends will not be improving very soon!
So, things are good, the cooking is getting more technical by the minute, our rugby team is rubbish and I have to come up with my exam menu (3 course meal to be presented to Darina, Rachel and Rory) fairly soon. No bother!!!

Got a bit snap happy on my morning walk, photos below.

morning walk time!

herb garden

gardens

Spice and all things nice!

We have broken the back of the course and are on the home straight. Mid term exams are done and the results are in! Panic averted, all areas passed! Well done me, I have actually learned stuff.
Last week was interesting to say the least. After leaving the blog last week, some final cramming was done, bits of herbs and lettuce leaves were stuck to paper to help with identification and I had nightmares about having to fillet a fish (which I am STILL rubbish at). Thankfully the teachers took it easy on me and along with place settings and how to correctly pour a glass of wine (Don't Ask!), I had to dice and sweat an onion, top, tail and cook green beans, make mayonnaise and make a paper piping bag. Now those who know me will testify to the fact that patience is not a virtue that I have in abundance, so you can imagine my sense of frustration when, upon completing my herb and salad test, I had to wait until 5.15pm until I started my theory test (a full 75 minutes late). Apart from fish, I had no real worries about the test, the onion and paper piping bag (a small funnel made out of parchment paper used to pipe things like melted chocolate etc) were mentally ticked off the day before so I was raring to go. The relief was written all over my face as I arrived at my station and Rory O'Connell told me my jobs. I flew through the onion, mayo and beans with great gusto and approached the piping back with an image of a cold pint flashing through my head- that was probably my downfall!! 3 attempts later, with ripped up parchment paper covering my station, I turned to Rory, admitted defeat and stormed out of the kitchen. Thankfully I had passed everything else so all was not lost.
The weekend was good craic, Davey eventually arrived and we headed to the Blackbird for a well deserved pint. The night was great with everybody blowing off steam after the week and we also looked forward to the Halloween party the next night.
The next day Davey and I sampled the delights of Cork and he got his outfit for the party. He tried in vain to convince me that we should go as old school Batman and Robin, but there was no way I was going to be seen as his trusty sidekick! I flirted with a brilliant all in one Gromit suit (from Wallace and Gromit) but settled for my original decision (I went as one of the students who left the course after week one).
That night was great fun, after a lovely dinner (thanks to the White Cottage crew) we descended on the party. The night was great, eclipsed only by the amazing outfit worn by my housemate Charlotte, who went as Darina herself, including paper chefs hat and bangles!
So week 7 has arrived, I am in the Demo kitchen this week with Pam, our amazing teacher and I am still loving it. Thai food was the theme on Tuesday, taught by Rachel and today we had an amazing chat from a past student called Arun, who runs a company called Green Saffron. Well worth a visit online. His spices can be as young as a matter of weeks when they get to the customer, crazy considering the ones you buy in the supermarket can be years old, you cant imagine the amazing flavours and smells!
So tomorrow I am making Laksa, a spicy Thai noodle soup and a variety of other delights!

So cooking for two days, then watch Ireland take apart the Springboks, Bliss!!

Genius

Seafood Platter

pumpkin risotto

Halfway House

Exams!! I thought I was finished with all of that stuff, cramming, panicking, writing notes its all happening again! Week 6 has started and all the talk is about the mid term herb and technique exam that takes place on Friday afternoon.
The last week has flown by and I have neglected this blog terribly. Week 5 finished off quite nicely, strawberry jam and granary bread were the highlights, some of the low points were trying to fillet Monkfish and bean stews (which i just cant seem to get enthused about!). It has to be said however, that I thoroughly enjoyed week 5 and suffered none of the expected doldrums that we had heard so much about. We also made some amazing fish dishes including a Monkfish curry and a fantastic spicy tomato fish dish that I recreated in Belfast on the weekend, who would have thought that great food could be so easy to make? The weekend was spent in Belfast as we had an extra day off due to the public holiday here in Ireland on Monday, so 3 days of eating drinking and taking the dog for walks was amazing fun and it also gave me a chance for a little extra practice! My friend Davey came round on Sunday night after his trip to Jakarta, with possibly the funniest story about being "felt up" by an Indonesian woman on the plane out. Almost as funny was the slap across the face he received when the woman was trying to wake him up as food was being served! For those of you who know him, a phone call to listen to the story is recommended.
I arrived back in Cork (not so sunny anymore) yesterday and headed straight for the herb garden to brush up on my knowledge and then early to bed to prepare for the days cooking. Today went really quite well, I made Ballymaloe Irish Stew, white yeast bread (which you have to plait), sea salt and pepper bread sticks, white rolls and shortbread biscuits. All in all it turned out quite well and I was pretty happy with my days toil. This afternoon I was introduced to pumpkin risotto, vegetable curries and 2 amazing tarts which you make upside down. So Thursday will be risotto followed by apple and fudge tart on my menu.
The end of the week is a little bittersweet, on a positive note Davey is coming down for the weekend, however firstly I must negotiate the dreaded test. Now I can hear all of you saying, "its only cooking" but let me tell you, trying to learn 14 different varieties of herbs and about 10 different salad leaves by sight and taste is no easy feat. Not to mention the 4 or 5 different skills that you have to demonstrate to the teacher whilst they stare blankly as you try to look for help! So this week I will be buying cheap chickens to joint, fish to fillet and onions to sweat, in the vain hope that some of what I have learnt has stuck and I won't look like a fool on Friday. Very much looking forward to the first pint on Friday night and the Halloween party on Saturday!
So, I am almost halfway and I think that I may have learnt some things, will let you know after Friday if it has been enough! Wine tasting tomorrow morning at 9.30am and then Tapas demonstration tomorrow afternoon, cant wait!
T

Fadge!!

Week 5 has started and according to the natives, this is the first week of the mid course doldrums, students question their abilities and it all gets too much for some! Well not in our cottage! We are all raring to go and still loving life in sunny (yes still) East Cork. After having a lovely time in Belfast (despite the rock like scones) I just about made it back to Ballymaloe in the early evening of Sunday, I would have been here about 30 minutes earlier if I had not missed the turn for Dublin and driven 15 minutes West! However I got my directions back on track and made the journey in good time. It did feel a bit weird being back as I had taken an extended break, so I arrived in the school on Monday not knowing what kitchen I was in, who my partner was or what I was to be cooking, thankfully Aine, my partner, had it all sorted. Caramelized Pecan Squares and bacon Chop with Whiskey Sauce was the order of the day. Thankfully my amazing culinary skills (or those of my teacher, Sue) saw me through and the morning was a great success, even my biscuits tasted amazing and even looked pretty good, a far cry from my first biscuit disaster a few weeks ago!! The afternoon was a really heavy one and we did not get out till after 6, as we learnt all kinds of breakfast goodies including homemade muesli and granola, pancakes, waffles and of course a full Irish! Which I have to say is not a patch on a good old Ulster fry, which I have now been reliably informed is served with Fadge! After much tittering in the room, we were told that Fadge is actually potato bread which we good Ulster folk like to have with our frys. To be honest, I like the Ormo variety better and it will not be added to my culinary repertoire.
As you can imagine I was really looking forward to Tuesday as we each had to make a fry to be judged and then we were allowed to go and eat them for lunch, extra incentive to get it right! I also made some kumquat marmalade which is quite possibly the worst job I have ever had (make that second worst job, door to door phone salesman in Australia was worse!), the reason being is you have to cut up a kilo of these tiny fruits into little rings and then manually take out the pips! Then soak them overnight before you can commence the second stage of marmalade making. The reason is that the pips contain most of the pectin (the stuff that helps it set) and you need to add it to the marmalade later. I also made spotted dog (sweetened soda bread with sultanas) fresh raspberry muesli and segmented an orange! I was a busy guy and I though my fry was fantastic (if i do say so myself).
That afternoon at demo we saw flat fish being filleted, chilli con carne, bean stew and chocolate eclairs!!
Also went for a few pints to the Blackbird as we had no cooking the next day and as usual it was great craic, Rachel and Issac Allen were in so we had some good chat and I really enjoyed myself.
Today was a ok day, we had business class with Darina's sister, it was a bit like going back in time to Uni but I guess you cant have some messages drummed into you enough (cost control, cost control, cost control).
I also go the call from the surgeon and I am booked in on the 16 December for the op, good to know it is going to be done before Christmas and I can recuperate and get out to China ASAP as they are cooking up a storm over there and could do with some assistance and I cant wait! Although 670 diners over 3 days sounds pretty mental (last weekend numbers at the Flying Fox, Shanghai). Dads wife Li did the course here last year and has completely revolutionised their business, so there may be hope for me yet!
Anyway, that's enough from me for now, chocolate eclairs tomorrow with choux pastry, sounds like just my thing!!
T

Full Irish

Bacon Chop, whiskey cream, banana and mash with scallions

A tray of pecan goodness!!

To operate or not?

That's me in Belfast now having a few days with Mum and seeing the surgeon for my back. Wednesdays cooking went well and I have some photos of my handiwork attached. Other than that things have been pretty quite since I arrived back, I cooked for Davey and Mum on Thursday night, we had penne with mushroom a la creme and creme caramels for dessert with lovely caramel sauce, they actually worked out quite well, much better than the scones I attempted to make on Thursday day time, must remember when halving a recipe, half ALL the ingredients!! They turned out more like rock cakes! I also managed to see the doctor on Thursday to get my referral letter for the surgeon. 
So Friday came and to be honest I was pretty worried about seeing the surgeon about my back, although I do talk it up on occasions and make like it has been getting better, it has pretty much deteriorated over the past 18 months and I cannot go on like this, so off to the surgeon I went! I was presented with two options neither very good, the crux of the matter is that I have both back and leg pain, they are relatively successful at fixing leg pain, they know very little about back pain. Option one was a spinal fusion, the likelihood being i would need another op in about 3 years, option 2 was a lower lumbar discectomy to remove the bit that is squashing and irritating my nerves and it might result in a lessening in my back pain. So option 2 it is, hopefully week commencing 13 December I will be getting the crab meat (how the surgeon described the consistency of the disc, luckily or unluckily, I did take a crab apart last week and know exactly what he is talking about, although lets hope he is more delicate than I was!) removed. So the good news is that unless my disc completely ruptures into the spinal canal, I should (with the help of Mr Codeine) be able to complete my studies at Ballymaloe!
So I am 24 hours on from receiving the news and feel a bit better about it, spoke to my friend Kerr last night, he is convinced that once I am fixed, he with his dodgy knee and metal ankle and me with my dodgy back should be able to make ourselves available for selection to the Scottish and Irish rugby squads for next years world cup!!
So that's is from sunny Belfast, back to Cork tomorrow, talk soon!
T

Summer Pudding

3 down, 8 to go!

Three weeks completed and it feels like I have been here forever! So another week has begun and a new kitchen and partner has entered my culinary life. Last Friday was a game of two halves, the morning was excellent and my dishes worked out really well, chicken liver pate, Melba toast and haddock with mushrooms, buttered crumbs and fluffy herbed potatoes. It all tasted good apart from the cheese we used for the mornay sauce was too strong and it overpowered the light fish. (In my humble opinion!) However soon after cooking my back started to spasm and I spent the next few hours on my back and missed the afternoon demo! As most of you reading this will know, my back saga is a constant theme, luckily the weekend seems to have helped and it has died down a little, plenty of pain killers and water and I am bandaged up enough to attempt week 4!!
The weekend was good, spent some time in Cork City, which is lovely, and some good food and wine.
Luckily enough the demo that I missed was not to intense and consisted of french omelette's, frittata and things like marzipan dates and apples (yuk) so picking things up this morning wasn't too bad, I did spend some time studying the recipes last night and that paid dividends today.
This morning started with the usual farm walk, the mornings are getting darker and some funny b@s$%#d decided to move where the cows are usually situated, scared the life out of me as I walked past, not sure the shock did my back any good and I don't think the cow appreciated the high pitch scream either! However it did get the juices flowing for the mornings cooking which went really well. I made mushroom soup, wild mushroom a la creme, scones and a french omelette (which actually does take only 45 seconds to make).
This afternoon was spent learning about game, how to roast a good chicken, bread sauce, cranberry sauce, redcurrant sauce, game chips, Victoria sponge and summer pudding, a busy afternoon alright!!
So week 4 has begun and I am still raring to go, bit of a funny one for me this week as I have to drive up north on Wednesday to see a back specialist, at least it will give me some time with Mum which I am really looking forward to, she will also be acting as a guinea pig as I attempt to create some of the dishes away from the comfort of having a teacher on my shoulder! Luckily I will not be missing any cooking as the course outing is on Thursday and the theory day has been moved to Friday, we also have Rachel Allen teaching us on Wednesday so that should be fun.
Well that's it for now, I will check in later in the week and let you know how things are going!
Peace
T

For all the tea in China!

Well it has been a little while since my last confession so I have quite a bit to tell you! Week three started much better than week 2 ended, my new partner Brigitte and I breezed into kitchen 1 ready to cook up a storm. I had been up walking as usual so the endorphins were flowing and I was eager to put the disappointment of Fridays cooking out of my mind and get straight back on the horse, so to speak! I was on the roast lamb and it turned out fantastically well, I also made some more bread and generally the day was a great success-Thank God for that!! That afternoon we learnt what could be done with left over lamb, we learnt about prawns and shrimps and finally we learnt how to make fluffy lemon pudding and chocolate fudge pudding.
We were in class very late on Monday so everyone was shattered by the time we made it back to the ranch, bed was early after a little masterchef on the bbc.
Tuesday was a great day again, I made Dublin bay prawns with a homemade mayo, we also made a lovely apple and tomato chutney, the only downside was that I was unable to tuck into the prawns at lunch as I am allergic, I also attempted my first real dessert and my teacher said it was fantastic!! My partner made a magnificent shepherds pie and I also tried a fantastic lamb neck moussaka.
Tuesday night was another quiet one, most of the girls went out to Ballycotten for a drink but I decided against it and stayed in. We had a visit from Auntie Flo (Darina's Aunt) who popped past for as chat, which was nice, not sure Margie (one of my flatmates) appreciated it as she talked her way through an episode of masterchef!
Wednesday began with a bang, wine tasting for 3 hours! We concentrated on France and it was very informative, I am now fairly confident on the main regions of France, however their classification system is a total mess and it is no wonder not many people have a clue about wine or have the confidence to order it!
That afternoon we had an hour long lecture from Sean Moran of Sip Tea who dazzled us with information about tea and how we should really invest as much time in choosing tea as we do with wine or coffee. Interesting, but not really for me! This complimented the afternoon lecture which focused on afternoon tea, so the tasting at the end consisted of about 10-12 different cakes and sponges.
Today was probably my best day so far in terms of getting it right, although to be fair it was fairly easy stuff. Today I made Strawberry sorbet with a strawberry sauce, crunchy orange and chocolate scones with an orange butter, homemade flour tortillas, Totopos (tortilla chips), nachos and quesadillas with chorizo, mozzarella and chilli! Phew, I was knackered by the end of it.
It has been another long week and I am very much looking forward to the weekend, still loving it and finally feeling like I might be OK in the kitchen by the end of the 12 weeks!
Below are some photos of the weeks cooking!
T

P.S I had a great time at Ballymaloe House on Sunday night, the food was excellent and Myrtle Allen is just about the most amazing woman I have ever met. 85 years old and still runs around the place making sure the guests are ok, checking food coming out of the kitchen at the same time telling me about the work she is doing trying to stop an incinerator being built near Ballymaloe which will be allowed to release a certain amount of chemicals everyday, just great for an organic farm!! I would love to have that energy at that age.

Dublin Bay Prawns with Homemade Mayo

Roast Lamb with Garlic and Corriander, mint sauce and vichy carrots

 

 

 

 

 

Hells Kitchen!

I guess everyone has them, but as bad days go, Friday was a true gem! You know what I'm talking about, a day when it seems that everything you try doesn't work! Here is a little tip for you, if it doesn't look right, it probably isn't! From picking a fish the size of a small shark to try and fillet, to making light, fluffy biscuits that had the consistency of cement, Friday was a day to forget!
The day started as usual, with a brisk walk around the gardens at 6.45am, 3 hours of really painful cooking and then a great demo in which we learnt how to butcher a whole side of lamb and then Rory cooked a leg of lamb with Rosemary and Garlic, roast potatoes, homemade mint sauce and a lovely salad with Shanagarry cream sauce. Really excellent stuff and and it means that I am cooking roast leg of lamb tomorrow!!
The weekend has been good, few beers on Friday night at the Blackbird pub in Ballycotten turned into a big one with most of the course out for drinks. Good to meet other people from the course in a slightly more relaxed setting. Saturday was very quiet as soon as I learnt that you could have Sky Sports on the laptop, so I watched the Ryder cup, which was amazing as I thought I would miss it!
Today started with a really early morning walk to the beach, bit of filing of all my recipes, of which there must be well over 100 by now!
I have also been invited to Ballymaloe House tonight by Myrtle Allen to have some dinner, I am very much looking forward to it!
It seems like the tempo will be lifted next week I think, more recipes to do each day and I would assume, a slightly more critical eye from the teachers. Other than that, all is well here in sunny Cork, I will update you all during the week, lets hope Fridays nightmare will be a distant memory!
T

First Blood!

Its taken 10 days to do myself an injury, which i think is rather good considering the amount of danger that lurks in the kitchens in Ballymaloe. What should you do if you drop an extremely sharp knife? The answer is definitely not to try and catch it, this became apparent as the razor sharp edge got stuck in my finger! However panic not, it is only a small cut that required a plaster and a casual "get on with it" from my teacher!
The last two days have been really tiring, my 7am walks around the luscious gardens are continuing unabated but there are times when staying in bed seems a better idea, however once you walk around this idyllic place in the mornings before the mayhem begins, you cant think of a better place to be.
Yesterday was a theory day (every Wednesday will be the same) and we learnt a million and one things to do with milk. It started with the still warm milk being put through a separator to extract the cream and then we watched in amazement as butter, paneer (Indian cheese), a hard cheese (ready for eating in 3 months) and ricotta were all made in a short space of time. Then it was time for a well deserved lunch with the usual fine array of delicacies.
The afternoon was spent with Colm McCann, the award winning sommelier from Ballymaloe, where my limited knowledge of wine received a welcome boost, we focused on Riesling and Chardonnay with a particular focus on Chablis, we then tasted 6 different wines and learnt how to do it properly. To be fair there was a certain amount of deja vu for me as I have completed a wine course as part of my degree, however I retained virtually nothing so here's hoping that Colm will make the knowledge stick!
Today we were back to the kitchens and creme caramel with caramel sauce and caramel shards, I also cooked a spicy chicken dish. I have attached photos however the creme caramel looked so good I forgot to take pictures until we had tucked into it after "presenting" it to the teacher.
This afternoon we learnt how to fillet a round fish and tomorrow I will be filleting a cod then cooking it with creamy sauce!
Other than that, man flu seems to be abating and I hope to be in fine form to try and catch some of the Ryder Cup this weekend!
Speak Soon
T

Is it getting easier?

Well its now Tuesday evening and we are back at Mrs Walsh's cottage (where we live) digesting another frantic day in the kitchens. Things seem to be moving along quite quickly now and we have progressed quite a lot in a short space of time, the nickname for this course is cookery boot camp and it is certainly living up to its name.
Monday was a 12 hour marathon that included Dill and Gruyere quiche, brown soda bread and radish, cucumber and feta salad.
In the afternoon, Rory O'Connell (Fantastic chef) taught us how to joint a chicken, given that free range chickens can be up to 5 times more expensive, it was important to see exactly how to get all the meat off the chicken. We also learnt some amazing dishes that I will get on to later. The evening was spent with a gentleman from the St Emilion region of Bordeaux where we tried 6 different wines and learnt a little bit about the different grapes and areas surrounding Bordeaux. We got back to the house about 8ish and i was tucked up by 9pm!!
Today I jointed a free range chicken, made chicken breast with a creamy fake chanterelle and ginger sauce, white soda bread, boiled Irish potatoes (boiled in sea water) and I prepped some spicy drumsticks (cayenne pepper, turmeric, cumin, paprika, sugar, garlic, lemon juice, freshly ground pepper and salt) for cooking tomorrow. Lunch was fantastic again and this time we got to have some meat and no quiche in sight!!
We also had some chicken wings that were amazing. The gist is that you push all the meat down to the end and turn them inside out, roast them in sweet chili sauce then add a bit of soy sauce and sprinkle sesame seeds on them and cook for another few minutes! Awesome!!
The flat is still going well, although I am still the only male in the house, our new flatmate, Margie has settled in well and it feels like we have been here for a lot longer than 10 days. Living with 5 girls is interesting and it is fair to say that an occasional pint with the lads would be good, however they are all amazing in their own way and i wouldn't change it.
So another day is done, I am still enjoying it and my back is just about holding up, will update you later in the week, tomorrow is a theory day so a break from the kitchen will be good!
T
P.S The photos are from the last two demos that we have done.

First weekend

Well its now Sunday afternoon, there is a roast in the oven (courtesy of Charlie) and the girls are away to the beach for a walk. I am chilling in front of the Grand Prix and awaiting the slow roasted pork joint and fresh garden veg and herbs. The weekend has been a welcome break from the manic week we have just had. So today I will update you on what we did on Friday and Saturday.
Friday had the usual start with a 6.45am walk around the gardens with Lucy, Charlotte has attempted to join us on a number of occasions, however she has yet to make it out of her bed at a suitable time!! The usual frenetic activity continued  with everyone in the kitchen early trying to get their ingredients together and get a quick start to the day, I was on bread and lemonade duty so it added a few extra tasks to my day. I also made fresh raspberry jam and penne pasta with mushrooms and marjoram. I must admit that I had never heard of the herb marjoram, but it was absolutely delicious and worked out really well. I did however, get more grief for my seasoning which is really tough to get right but I guess that it would be pointless if they told you everything was great. My teacher last week was Rosie, who is an absolute gem and really good craic in the kitchen, it has taken me a week to understand her Cork accent though and now I will have a new teacher next week.
Lunch was amazing as we got to try the other pasta which was made (tomato, rosemary and chorizo), fresh green salad and a selection of amazing desserts (chocolate and hazelnut tart, and a rustic summer fruit tart).
The afternoon demonstration was excellent and featured one of my favourite topics, ice cream!! A raspberry ice cream was made along with a Gruyere and dill tart, a variety of salads, how to kill and make a dressed crab, crab and coriander tart and fresh fruit Popsicles!
After such a heavy week, we felt a few pints was in order, so we headed out to the Black Bird pub in Ballycotten for few hours, great craic was had and we eased ourselves home at 1am slightly worse for wear.
Saturday started a little later than normal, I took a nice walk down to the beach to ease the back and then we made plans to attend the farmers market in Middleton, it was great fun and we picked up a few treats to cook later on.
We had a quiet one on Saturday night, as we cooked quiche and the chorizo pasta for dinner. An unexpected call from Darina had me down in the manor home, meeting some of the family and having a glass of wine, it was really nice to meet them properly as I have seen them about the school but have been far to busy to stop and chat!
So that's it for now, Charlie has done an amazing job with lunch and we are looking forward to chilling out, meeting our new flatmate and getting some rest before the madness starts again tomorrow.
Man flu has also arrived so will be hitting the hay early to try and beat it before it takes hold, should make the tasting a bit harder!!
Will update you all later in week!
T

Days 2,3 & 4

Wow, I thought I was tired after day 1!! This has been the most hectic but brilliant week I have had in a long time. We have now had 1 welcome day, 2 days in the kitchen and 1 demo day and it has been fantastic throughout. I have attached some photos of the culinary delights myself and my partner (we are teamed up each week and have to cook 3 or 4 dishes each day) have created. We had our first assessment and it seemed to go well, although seasoning my quiche let me down a bit! However I am now competent in brown soda bread, shortcrust pastry (well maybe not that competent), quiche Lorraine and fork biscuits. We are also getting used to our "duties". Everyday you are tasked with completing certain tasks for the general good, this could be a simple as helping serve and clear the restaurant or more exotic like feeding the hens or gardening duty! Lots of fun and also teaches you a few extra skills that may or may not come in handy.
Yesterday we had a talk from an amazing local businessman, Peter Ward, not only did he give an impassioned speech about the benefits of sourcing locally and having a strong local following for your product, he brought in a whole Parmesan wheel that weighed 90lbs and was worth 1200 euro, it was absolutely delicious and was so different from that muck you get in Tesco.
I must admit, I was a bit skeptical about the whole food movement and approach that Ballymaloe takes with regard to its produce however I am happy to report that I will never shop in the same manner again. Well done Darina Allen, one more convert to the cause!
On a personal note, I went for another MRI scan today and the news ain't good, the prolapse has got worse and is only being held on by a thin strip of ligament, the short story is that I am to do nothing too strenuous and hope to god it dehydrates enough to stop crushing the nerves! Anyhoo, we shall see what happens, hopefully I will be able to complete the course and deal with the back issues later.
Hope you are enjoying this blog and I will keep you all updated over the weekend.

T

Day one

I think we are all suffering from information overload! The day started with an early morning walk around the grounds whilst everyone was sleeping, I have to say that the grounds around the school are beautiful. Set in 100 acres of organic farm, the gardens and grounds are amazing.
We converged on the school for a welcome breakfast at 8.30am, followed by a welcome by Darina and a tour of the gardens. Having spent time listening to the million and one herbs and plants I have to learn, I have now approached panic stations, thankfully the fridge in the house has a photocopied list of key herbs which will need studying for the test in week 6!
We then planted our own spring onion seeds so we can appreciate the effort required to grow produce. Each one has our name on it so we can check back and see the progress.
Lunch was a typical extravaganza which started with Tomato and Basil soup followed by a smorgasbord of smoked mackerel and eel, pickled cucumber, tomato and basil salad, egg mayonnaise, prawns, chicken liver pate and a smoked mussel, this was finished with a strawberry and raspberry pavlova, vanilla ice cream and a blueberry compote! None of it was made by us, although I am assured this will be possible after the next 12 weeks.
The afternoon was spent in the demo kitchen where tomorrows recipes were demonstrated by Darina. The afternoon finished with a list of dos and donts and a number of sing up sheets for the various things we can get involved in, for me milking the cows is a must along with the chance to work in an artisan bakery for a night!
Well we are all back in the house now, really tired but looking forward to the next day and the first day of real cooking, must go and iron my whites!!
Peace
T

Last day in Belfast

I am now officially excited! Tomorrow marks a great change in my life and I am finally really looking forward to it. I was up early to walk the dog, had lunch with some friends at the Dirty Duck in Holywood and have finally packed all my things ready for the drive to Cork.
I have joined the Ballymaloe group on facebook and there seems to be loads of young people so I should fit right in!!! I can hear you all giggling now.
So bags are packed, chefs clothing is in the car and I am ready for the East Cork part of my Eastern Adventure, god knows I better be a whiz in the kitchen before the end of this course or there will be plenty of upset people who I have promised some culinary delights!!
I will update you next week and let you know if I have burnt or cut myself or perhaps both.
Peace
T

baby Steps

Well, that is it, I have taken the plunge! Reality has definitely not kicked in yet, I am back in Belfast for a few days and i decided to start a Blog!! Not something that comes very easily to me, not because I don't like sharing my thoughts, more because I am totally technophobic and changing a scart cable is tough enough. However it seems interesting and fairly easy, so we will see what happens. The intention is to keep you updated about Ballymaloe, maybe even post some good recipes, tell you all about how things are going and then keep you updated on events in China. I am sure that there will be many speed bumps along the way to keep the reader amused, so i hope you enjoy it!
T