In Ireland, Cookery Amid the Greenery
APPROACHING the town of Shanagarry in County Cork, Ireland, can stir a lot of emotions in the first-time visitor: awe at the beauty of the place, a peacefulness brought on by the serenity of the countryside. But for some people, a trip to this hamlet sparks something else altogether, a quickening of the pulse as you realize you're about to get into the kitchen and start cooking.
For Shanagarry is home to the Ballymaloe Cookery School, one of Europe's most notable destinations for the serious foodie. Owned by Tim and Darina Allen and sitting in one of Ireland's richest agricultural counties, the school started out as a sideline business. In 1983 Darina began offering cooking classes out of their 19th-century Regency house, to supplement Tim's income as a farmer. The response was great, and Darina started teaching local people, focusing on simple, straightforward fare using the wonderfully fresh ingredients grown on the farm or caught in nearby waters.
Quickly outgrowing its original home, the school moved 50 yards to its current location, a converted apple barn constructed during World War II and designed by Tim's maternal grandfather, Henry Hill, a well-regarded Cork architect. The design was an engineering feat considering the rationing and lack of supplies at the time.
The kitchens are now in the former apple sorting rooms, and because there was no electricity during the 1940's, there are enormous north-facing windows that open wide and maximize daylight. The windows look over the school's cow pastures and the seafood-rich Ballycotton Bay, just a mile away. Darina, originally trained at a catering school in Dublin, has since published 13 books. Her first, ''Simply Delicious'' (1989, Gill & Macmillan) was a big success.
The Ballymaloe Cookery School operates year-round, with a mix of one-day classes and weeklong immersion programs. While its focus remains firmly on locally grown foods and Irish traditions (How to Keep a Few Chickens in the Garden is the name of one course), offerings now include such surprising options as A Day in Italy and Sushi for Beginners.
When I went to Ballymaloe this past summer, I attended an Intensive Introductory course, a 10th-anniversary present from my husband, and was joined by my friend Mary Birchfield, who unlike me, had never taken a cooking class. There were 48 students, mainly from Ireland, Britain and the United States, enrolled in this five-day course. As everyone arrived that first morning we were offered coffee, tea and scones in the dining room.
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