Health and Safety fun

Now this would be an awfully ( and I mean awfully) boring post if I was to explain what we were up to! Four words for you. Health and safety lecture.

That is it in a nutshell. No cooking at all, can you feel my sadness? Oh and I'm ill. Boo hoo. Hopefully tomorrow I will be all good as I have a big cooking plan to get through!

Here are some photos to keep you amused instead of my scribbles.

Knives at the ready!

A 9 baby, a 9!!

Today was our first 'real' day of cooking at Ballymaloe. Dragging myself out of my cosy pit called bed, I did my half hour of exercise and then ready to start…..pat on the back even if I do say so myself but seriously, when you start thinking about buying yourself some 'comfy' pants you know you're in trouble! There is literally soooooo x 1000 food on offer here!

Walking down to the school kitchens today you could literally feel a buzz in the air. That wonderful first day of real adventure, the first day of the rest of your life. It was so very exciting. Everyone was super duper excited to be actually cooking and hopefully NOT cutting themselves! Lists of recipes were given out last night to decide between us and our partner for the next week what we wanted to each cook today. My duties were quiche lorraine, lemonade and poached apricots in sweet geranium syrup.

Every morning on entering our work stations (see how I have the lingo down!?!) we hand in an 'Order of Work', this, apparently shows our teacher for the week our thought process and it's a great way to really think about what happens when and how long it takes.  For example once you've made your short crust pastry and are blind baking it for the 30 mins needed, wouldn't it be a good idea to get on with something else?
I really enjoy this as some times this comes quite naturally to me and other times…well, let's just say it is a big confusion and I always miss something!

So every day at the end of our cooking session, have I mentioned I didn't cut myself today?! We plate up and our teacher taste tests our final product. I am proud to say that my quiche received a 9! You know this out of 10 right? So yippedee do dah, I am pretty bloomin' happy with a 9! I did something a little different with the lemonade too as everything at the moment seems to be sweet geranium so added mint to it instead…it was well received from the boss so it's all gravy.

Today was an absolutely fantastically sunny day. No rain I might add and just lovely. Blue blue sky, green green grass and the sound of chickens. After another 'trying to be but failing miserably' small lunch we had plenty of time, so I took the opportunity to walk around the grounds, without getting wet! They have some amazing things here, there are beech hedges that are over 200 years old. The most important beech hedges in Ireland. There is a living wild flower meadow monster…a folly made of shells. Some wonderful things.

All in all another pretty fantastic day and no accidents plus getting into the rhythm of things which is good although feels like we've been here 3 weeks rather than 3 days!

Knives at the ready!

Oh and these biscuits are my first attempt at piping! I'm in love…so cheesy I know, but hey.

It was going so well...

Yes, it really was. Going so well that is. There we were, lined up, raring to go, looking quite dashing in our brand spanking new kitchen whites (no sarcasm involved in that last sentence at all by the way!).

Our first port of call, after taking photos of ourselves, was to get into the kitchen demo for a quick salad making show and tell. Or that should be show and taste. Laurels to chards, bok chois to wild rockets. They were all welcome and more than 'ummed' and 'ahed' at. They were enjoyed, revealed in, I head several murmurs of 'yum' whilst the bunches of vivid greens were passed around. It's funny how quickly I've forgotten that a mere year ago I was living in a wonderful country house where I could do exactly what they do here at Ballymaloe….nip out the house and pick your salad. Lucky lucky me.

Moving quickly out of reminiscing and into the present day off we went for a whirlwind tour of the actual kitchens we will be walking/running through every single day for the next 12 weeks. Kitchen 1, 2 and 3, dining rooms 1 and 2, larder here, larder there, Toby takes our picture and then we are off to cook.

Knives out. Ok then. This is the moment of truth. This is the moment when it's 'can you really cook or just think you can cook?'. I am I should say, nervous and a little shaky at this point. I am trying to forget every single thing that I have taught myself for the next 12 weeks. From every tiny detail of making syrup with Stevia leaves rather than sugar to chopping an onion. Gosh. Golly golly gosh.

I am the second person to cut myself in our kitchen. Glad I wasn't the first but the second. I wear my blue plasters with pride. Especially as by the time the 4.5hour demo lecture in the afternoon came crashing into sight and there was a sea of blue plasters. Should be ashamed if you don't have one I say!

Now we are all pretty tired right now. We learnt to chop and onion, carrot and potato. Make sweet geranium syrup, make carrot and cumin soup and bake a modern day soda bread. Oh and not forgetting rice pudding. Oh how I love that bad boy, could have done with some cardamon but hey ho, next time.

We have our rotas and our partners for the week. Tomorrow I'm in charge of quiche lorraine, poached pears and host duty…can't wait.

Knives at the ready!

Girl crush

There is something I have to admit. I can't keep it on my chest one moment longer. I have a total and utter consuming girl crush on Darina Allan. She (and the family I've met) are lovely. Down to earth, friendly, passionate about food and most of all accessible. We are after all trying to learn every thing we can from her.

Day 2 started with a group breakie, yum porridge with honey and bananas, all kinds of soft and tasty bread, homemade of course and lots of nervous chat about how we had, or hadn't, slept.
Not able to go straight out into the gardens for a tour we settled into the demo kitchen. (Pictures below)

It's definitely a new kind of experience for me, sitting back in a classroom but with the smells of food surrounding you, a large mirror overhead to see what the chef in charge is doing just incase you can't see through that persons head in front of you!

No cooking as such in the morning but lots of bumf and information and general stuff.
Off for a quick tour around the gardens in the mud, see the piglets, the tour of inside the green houses where we planted our own salad plant and more general information.

Lunch rocked. Simple good food. Locally produced and just pure yum. Tomato and basil soup with a chive foam on the top. Then a mezze plate of shrimp, deviled eggs, charcuterie, pate, bread, cheese and then pudding. Lots and lots of pudding!

The afternoon was spent in the demo kitchen but this time watching the magic happen. Plate upon plate was whisked up in front as popped in the oven to cook. I have to admit if I hadn't have cooked previously this would have been an overload of information but as it was it was all fairly basic stuff. I'm also quite surprised at how sweet most of the dishes are. I mean really sweet. But maybe it's just me who loves something sweet but not too sweet.  A modern soda bread, apple crumble, rice pudding, oat biscuits, mushrooms in a cream sauce and lemonade…now tomorrow will be the day when we get to cook all of these things.

Today there are no pictures of the gardens, the grounds or anything outside due to the fact that there was far too much rain and wind for it to look anything other than mud…as for the food at lunch, it seemed to vanish off my plate before I had even the inkling of getting my camera out…maybe tomorrow!

Arrival day

My sprightly little red VW winds its way down the mossy Irish lane to the sign pointing me to Ballymaloe Cookery School.

A chicken runs across my path and I hear the sound of barking and quickly break to  see a bounding yellow, fat I might add, labrador. This is my welcome to the place I will be living for the next 12 weeks. 12 whole weeks in this small Irish country estate. 

I meet several girls, younger. Much younger girls. As in leaving school younger. Sweet but have I mentioned young? A quick cup of tea, teaming plates of scones piled high with whipped cream and raspberry and coconut slices were offered. I can feel my jeans tightening as the plates pass me by. Quick, off to see the accommodation!

I'm in the pink cottage, guess why? I'm feeling lucky and so I should be. I have a twin room all to myself, twin room! Two massive wardrobes, my own bathroom (with bath) and a radiator that seems not to turn off. Yes Mum, I have tried!

After unpacking whilst trying to move as much as possible (working off the plate of scones I looked at) I go off to wander around the grounds. Little piglets run around, rows and rows of veggies, rows and rows of glass houses and a maze. A real life maze! Not tall enough to get lost I might add, but a maze!

I've spent the last couple of hours reading through the 500 pages of information and recipes I was given on arrival. Oh yeah, that is just for week 1. I'm trying not to get scared by how much information there is for me to take in and learn. It's been a long 7 years since I studied..I have my colour coded lever arches at the ready, fear not!

Knives at the ready, until next time!

Getting excited and a little nervous!

I am currently sat in a small BnB in Fishguard awaiting my decided time to board the ferry to the Emerald Isle so that I can get started at Ballymaloe Cookery School.

For the next 12 weeks, I will be moulded, instructed, chopped up, burned and be filled with so many recipes and new information I might explode.

Since having booked on the course I seem to know more and more people that have attended, and loved, so something has to be right! Hopefully I will exit having fantastic technical skills, a myriad of traditional recipes, able to cook for 100 people whilst feeling confident and some fantastic contacts.

Fingers crossed.
x

Roasted pear and chocolate scones

Merry Xmas and a happy new year to all!
A little late, I know but life gets in the way sometimes, don't you think?

Well as it's been a house slightly full of people these little bad boys were a perfect treat!
Stolen from the wonderful Deb at Smitten Kitchen this recipe rocks!
I adapted it slightly adding less sugar, baking powder and using self raising flour however, they still tasted amazing!

3 firmish pairs
190grams self raising flour
85grams cup of sugar
½ cup of whole milk/cream
1 teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt
85grams unsalted butter
85grams of chocolate
2 eggs, 1 for dough and 1 for the glaze

Peel and chop pears then roast for 10mins or until slightly brown and soft

 

Mix butter, four, sugar, baking powder and salt into a crumb like mixture (see next pic!)

Chope your chocolate into the size chunks/flakes you want and add along with the pears

Add milk/cream to make a dough and make your round shape cutting into triangles of yumminess!