Posted on Sep 25, 2007 in Ballymaloe Cookery School | 6 comments

Ballymaloe Cookery Course: Week 2, Tuesday

Back in the cottage and briefly online this evening. The Husband and I moved into a house in Ballycotton last night with one of the other students, who had also been commuting from North Cork. After the beds had been made, the fridge stocked and the supper eaten – I used up a large bunch of carrots...
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Posted on Sep 21, 2007 in Ballymaloe Cookery School | 5 comments

Ballymaloe Cookery Course: Week 1, Friday

Phew! The first week of the twelve-week course – and, according to everyone who works at the Ballymaloe Cookery School, the longest one – is over. It’s been five days of early mornings and late evenings, our heads a-swim with new techniques, terms and ideas as we try to concentrate on...
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Posted on Sep 17, 2007 in Ballymaloe Cookery School | 5 comments

Ballymaloe Cookery Course: Week 1, Monday

A day that starts at 6.30am (with a wake-up at 5.30am to switch on the immersion as its timer has refused to co-operate with its owners) and continues until I step out of the car at the cottage after 7pm is, naturally enough, very tiring. When it’s the first day of the 12-week course at Ballymaloe, it...
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Posted on Sep 14, 2007 in Ballymaloe Cookery School, Do, Travel | 2 comments

Transition Time

Transition from a full-time journalist’s job in Dublin to country-based student life is more than just packing a car, cleaning out the old flat and shifting down to the cottage. Mindless routines – the 45-minute stroll to work, a computer-based eight-hour stint, walking home mentally preparing...
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Posted on Sep 4, 2007 in Ballymaloe Cookery School, Do | 29 comments

What’s next? Ballymaloe!

What’s next? Ballymaloe!
Well, I’ve taken the plunge. Notice has been given at work. Going away parties (the Baggott Inn’s self-serve Guinness taps proved particularly popular!), dinners and drinks have been partaken in. After ten years living in Dublin and five years in Cork city, it’s time to return to the...
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Posted on Sep 3, 2007 in Do, Travel | 0 comments

Visiting Scotland

Visiting Scotland
Unless absolutely necessary, I tend to avoid bed and breakfasts. I’ve stayed in many around Ireland and most experiences are nothing to write about – unless in a negative manner. Last year’s May Bank Holiday we were forced into B&B accommodation in Westport by weather unsuitable for...
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