Girly trip

So, week 5 at Ballymaloe Cookery School begins tomorrow. To distract us from this uncomfortable fact and also that our waistlines have been on the (rather fast) increase we decided to take a trip to Dungarvon home of The Tannery for some food. Head cheffed (I'm sure that's a term!) by Paul Flynn it was a fantastic meal. Of course, before you question it, this did not help with our waistlines but it's the start of a new week tomorrow so it's all good.

I have no pictures for you as I heard he's not a fan (of having pics taken) BUT I can tell you that it is well worth the visit and definitely at a good price range too. I had potted rabbit to start, served in a kilner jar, it was tender morsels of rabbit with the zing of mustard seeds and some wonderfully crisp but soft bread. That was followed by a flaky tart topped with sweet sweet deep purple beetroots, slightly soured goats cheese and almost caramelised apples sprinkled with toasted hazelnuts. Goats cheese + hazelnuts are a winner by the way. And of course it would have been rude of me to refuse the third course of the meal which was a lighter than light dark bitter truffle cake topped with stick-in-your-teeth-in-a-good-way golden honey comb. Yum.

It's been beautifully mild here. Yesterday was utter sunshine and blue skies making the greener than green Irish grass sparkle and dazzle. And today, drum role please…was the first time I have not worn thermals. We're all pretty excited about what next week will bring here at Ballymaloe Cookery School, but in the mean time, here are some tips.

1. Never use aluminium with fruit (leave fruit in an aluminium bowl etc) as the acidity in the fruit affects the metal and react together

2. If you want to make garlic flavoured oil, never use raw garlic. It becomes very toxic raw. Instead, chop head of garlic in half and gently heat it in oil. When bubbling, remove garlic head and put it into a container. Easy

3. If making burgers you generally want 10-15% fat in the meat to give it a great flavour. Ask your butcher for the shoulder in pork or lamb and the brisket/flank in beef.