For the second time this spring I found myself at Ballymaloe in Ireland. This time I was there to attend a “Start your own teashop” course. The course would last two and a half days, and would include two practical sessions and three demonstrations. I very much looked forwards to this course; it was to include information about the practical aspects of opening a teashop; such as designing the menu, how to manage a small business and how to optimise profitability. It would also include information about how to make the best tea and coffee, and also both demonstrations and practical sessions giving great recipes. Not much information had been given out before the start of the course, apart from “bring your own apron and a knife”. So it was with a lot of curiosity and great expectations that I arrived at the cookery school. I had booked a room in a self catering cottage at the school, so everything looked set for a fantastic few days immersed in cooking and learning.
When I arrived at the school at the agreed time I found the place deserted. We had agreed a time for my arrival so that someone could be there to welcome me and show me to my room, but this seemed to have been forgotten, or not communicated to the person responsible for the cottages. Luckily I had not arrived alone, as I had met up with another girl from my course at the airport. Had I been there alone I would have felt very alone and deserted. As it was, I looked after our luggage as she went for a walk in search of someone who could help us. She eventually found a member of staff, who seemed completely unaware that we would be arriving during daytime. So far not such a good first impression. But I thought I should probably not be so harsh in my judgement, we all make a few mistakes here and there, and we did after all find someone to show us our rooms, eventually. My room was in the Coach House, a newly renovated lovely old cottage. And my room was beautifully light and airy, with big windows and yellow sunshine-coloured curtains. I happily sank down onto my bed for a quick nap before exploring the premises (I had been up and travelling since 3am that morning).
The cookery school is set within a great organic garden and farm. There are fruit trees arranged as a maze, herb gardens, lawns, and a folly at the end of the property. I know it sounds like a cliché, but I felt relaxed and filled with peace as I walked around the gardens. Afterwards I was ready for new adventures, and went up to Ballymaloe House for a snoop around. And I have to say I was impressed. The house itself is a beautiful old stone building clad in purple wisteria, surrounded by a small wood, a great lawn (which turned out to be a golf course), and a field of rape in full yellow blossom. I didn’t go into the house itself, but instead I went to the cookery shop, and to the Cafe at the end of the Shop. The cafe was bustling with life and customers, and there was a little wait before I could get a table, but they were obviously used to being busy, as they had an excellent queuing system. So I wandered around the shop while waiting for my name to be called for the cafe. When I got a table it turned out to be a very modern yet cosy place, with a small but inviting menu. And the cakes at the counter looked gorgeous. I decided I wasn’t very hungry, so went for a piece of cake. It was a lemon sponge; light and delicate, full of flavour. Delicious.
Day one of the course started with a cooking demonstration by Darina Allen and Pamela Black. Before the demonstration began we were all given a folder containing details of the course, and a list of the recipes that would be cooked while we were there. We were all asked to choose three recipes from that morning’s list that we would like to make during the practical session the next day. It was quite chaotic for a little while, while over 50 course participants were trying make a decision about what to cook, and then to register their wishes all at once. When we had all made our selection we sat down ready to be dazzled by Darina and Pam and their cooking. They managed to bake a remarkable volume of cakes and tarts that morning, and while baking they gave advice about how to best achieve good results. They made it all look very easy and enjoyable, and at the end of the session I felt inspired to go out and do my own cooking, and also somewhat hungry. Luckily it was now time for lunch.
Lunch was a feast for both the eyes and the palate, with salad, many types of bread, quiches, pasta, and cakes for dessert. Special dietary requirements were well catered for, with gluten free vegetarian quiches, bread and pasta. After this feast I felt more ready to lie down for a nap than for a lecture on business, but thankfully there was quite a long break, where we could go out in the sun and relax for a bit.
The afternoon session was held by Blathnaid Bergin , Darina Allen’s younger sister. She runs a School of Restaurant & Kitchen Management in Ireland, where she provides training for the catering industry. As she started her lecture Darina came in and whispered in hear ear that she should keep her talk short, as people had come to Ballymaloe to cook not to listen to her talk about management, something I found quite strange, as many of the people I had talked to thus far had been tempted to attend that particular course because of the variety of topics offered in the course, including the business module. I also found it rather strange for this to come from the owner of the cookery school; why add the management talk to a course you run if you don’t want it there? After this incident the course got underway, and she gave some good examples of ways to get things wrong, and traps to avoid and not get caught in. Towards the end of the lecture there was a workshop lasting about an hour, where we were divided into groups to discuss potential ways towards failure, and how best to avoid them. As with most workshops it was rather unfruitful, and most of us felt it was a waste of time. However, overall the lecture was good, and I came away from it feeling more inspired to go away and start my own business.
Day two of the cookery course started in the kitchen, where we were divided into teams who had each our chef to assist us. There were four people to my team, and three of us were gluten intolerant. Our chef was Debbie Shaw, a nutritionist who helped us convert our recipes into gluten free ones, and who gave us good advice and hints about gluten free cooking and baking in general. It was a fun morning, where we made bread, cakes and a quiche. At lunchtime we ate the food we had cooked that morning, along with green salad made by the chefs at the school.
After lunch there was another cooking demonstration class. This time it was Rory O’Connell and Pam Black, and the pace seemed considerably more relaxed than at the previous cooking demonstration. While there was not as much talking, and a more relaxed atmosphere, there were more tips about presentation of food for sale, and ideas for edible gifts. And towards the end of the class when all the food was assembled on the cooking counter it became apparent that there were as many items of food as there had been after the demonstration the previous day.
The third and final day was a half-day, and took place in the kitchen. We made what we had chosen the day before, which in my case were two cakes and some macaroons. Again, Debbie helped us adjust the recipes to make them gluten free and gave advice about how to blend flours for successful gluten free baking. It was another fun and busy day, and at lunchtime we again served up our own food, along with leftovers from the day before. There was also the big bowl of green salad made by the school chefs.
After a hectic morning it was fantastic to sit down with some food, but it was also a bit sad, because this was the end of the course, and time to go home. Although I felt some of the content could have been better arranged, and there was a complete lack of organisation both within the kitchen and throughout the school, I had had a great few days, and I felt energised and inspired to go home and think about starting my own teashop.
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