Week 8

A blog to encompass the major events of a busy week/weekend! On Wednesday Darina's sister, the wonderfully named Blathnaid Bergin, came to talk to us about the setting up and running of businesses in the catering industry. Her approach to restaurants, as is to be expected, is to get them running as machines, completely unemotional, but it works. She (controversially) recommended a book called 'Behind the Golden Arches', by a man called John Love, who set up McDonalds! ...a semi-illegal word in Ballymaloe! Was on the whole a very interesting day, although just about enough to put anyone off ever running such a business! Especially in Ireland where rules and regulations seem to be suffocating a huge number of small businesses. Anyway, forward to Thursday and back to foodie offerings, my apricot and frangipine tart....

Thursday was also steak day, we learned how to cut our own steaks and, along with other accompaniments etc, how to make Bearnaise sauce. One of my absolute favourite things....

Although having made it and seen with my very own eyes the amount of butter that goes into it, the level of enjoyment was sadly not what it has been! Friday I made a pork, herb and spinach terrine...

Which was very delicious in spite of the very unappetizing pigs livers that went into it. It was also 'souffle day', and I excelled myself with this gasp inducing masterpiece...



It was much marvelled over in the kitchen, whilst it lasted anyway.....almost as soon as I cut into it to serve it just deflated :-( Before demo on Friday we were treated to another little musical diversion by two Belgian men called Roland and Stefan, friends of one of our teachers, Mike...

The older man plays guitar, the younger the harmonica and they both sing, were really great! We'd actually already seen them once before as on Wednesday night they had supported teacher Mike and his band at a gig The Grainstore at Ballymaloe House. Mike used to be in a band called Stockton's Wing, which was really big in Ireland back in the day, so about half our class went to cheer him on. One of his band mates, a guy called Tommy, was responsible for the setting up of the Irish seed saver's association, much esteemed by Darina. More importantly, he can play not only the bodhran (weird drum), but silver spoons and goat bones! Not together, separately, and brilliantly!! It was amazing. Friday night we then packed up for the weekend and headed out into the pouring rain to drive to Kilkenny. Despite torrential rain and several hilarious detours into some random parts of the Irish countryside, we finally made it to Cathy's beautiful house on the Mount Juliet golf course... apparently in the golf world it is pretty famous. With a raging river running by their backyard and a friendly Labrador I felt quite at home. Cathy's Dad enthusiastically embraced the occasion of having 6 in house cookery students, giving us a lecture on fine French Burgundys in his wine cellar and taking us all shopping for food on Saturday morning. We went to this fantastic country butchers where they slaughter, hang and butcher all their meat, including some of the cows from Cathy's farm. After some gentle persuasion from her Dad, these nice butchers gave us a behind the scenes tour!...

We saw the cold room, whole cows and pigs and all sorts hanging in this cavernous room! The photos don't really give the full measure (or the smell) of it, but I've never seen so much meat in my life....

In risk of going into too much detail, this is the little alley they take the cows down off the main street of Thomastown...

...and the girls walking tentatively into the slaughter bit....

After buying a huge rib of beef, lamb and chickens, we went back to get cooking! It was not a case of too many chefs spoiling the broth, but, unfortunately, an unco-operative Aga spoiling the yorkshire puddings! Other than that, it turned out to be pretty good. Sunday we went to Kilkenny, a really beautiful little medieval town, built around this castle which dates from the 13th century.....

In which we promptly located our favourite room, the KITCHEN!....


Then after warm roast chicken salad back at Cathy's, we headed home to the Pink Cottage for the weeks' traditional potato wedges and xfactor evening! Et voila, a week of foodie fun and Irish culture! Speaking of, I saw this bus outside Kilkenny castle, worthy of inclusion......