Galley Essentials with Amanda Students at the


demonstration stage at Ballymaloe Cookery School


Sorting through our


books the other day, I came across two cookbooks by Darina Allen that John had purchased in Ireland. We’d rented a car and had been visiting a friend in the distant Connemara Peninsula. In order not to be in a rush we’d driven back to Mahina Tiare, berthed at the Royal Cork Yacht Club, for a restful evening with plans for a morning explortation closer to home before returning the car.


That evening, while thumbing


through a travel brochure, a description of a cooking school with a garden situated in the rolling East Cork countryside sparked my interest. Here we might get to combine our love of gardens with that of food. I mapped out our route and decided on a pre-dawn start. After about 30 minutes meandering along foggy lanes we found signs to Ballymaloe, though upon arriving at the garden’s gate, we discovered it was not open until later. We zoomed off to the nearby seaside and explore the quaint fishing village of Ballycotton. On our return to the garden we


bought tickets at the café and were given a leaflet depicting a detailed aerial sketch of the garden’s layout. Still a little puzzled as to what we were visiting, it was then explained to us by the bubbly lady at the counter. “Located in a 100 acre organic


farm, Ballymaloe Cookery School was established in 1983 by Darina Allen; Ireland’s award winning food ambassador and television personality. The school operates year round and offers an extensive array of culinary courses with accommodation available onsite. The ingredients used at our


48° NORTH, APRIL 2011 PAGE 48


edged with box wood and set in gravel, the idea apparently sprang from a visit to Vilandry in France. Traditionally, herb plots were one of the earliest forms of gardens. Herbs were used in large households for remedies, cooking and to sweeten the air by scattering them about the floor. The surrounding tall beech hedges, once part of the


Discovering Ballymaloe by Amanda Swan Neal


school come straight from the gardens. You’re welcome to visit with our happy free-range cattle and pigs, along with the cows that produce our milk and cheese. Oh, and don’t be alarmed by the roaming flocks of ducks and chickens. Further down the lane the Allen family enterprises continue with Ballymaloe House; restaurant and country house accommodation.” As we entered the grassy courtyard


of the pink facade cookery school, it quickly became apparent we’d arrived into a rather mystical world. Through open long, white-paned windows, we glimpsed an active sea of crisp, white ,chef uniforms and black aprons. A steady clatter of pans drifted across to us as colorful hens clucked around our feet. It felt as if we were spying on a world where the emphasis was clearly food and John and I hurried on, so not to disturb the students. We wandered through a series of


gardens, each with enticing names before coming upon a flower-shaped herb garden. Laid out in a formal parterre,


neglected nineteenth-century garden, led us through an arched entrance to the vegetable garden. Raised diamonds with herringbone


brick paths displayed veggies inter- spaced with colorful flowers and further on, I especially liked the formal ornamental fruit garden with its resident wicker scarecrows that appeared to be dancing in the dappled light. Beyond the orchard an exceeding long herbaceous border lead to an enchanting tiny shell house where one could wile the time if they chose not to tackle the yew planted Celtic maze. With our garden tour complete we


stopped by the impressive demonstration stage that was in full prep for a class. We were invited to stay, but our time was up. Instead we loaded up with cookbooks and food goodies, promising ourselves that one day we’d return to take a course. Perhaps pig butchery? On our way out we stopped by Ballymaloe House and were given an entertaining tour by a very gracious family member, Jim Whelan. Yes, we’re coming back and in the mean time John plans to hone his skills with these Darina-inspired recipes.


Cauliflower Cheese Soup


4 oz butter 4 oz flour


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