Get a real taste of Ireland with a cookery school experience
Tasting local specialties is part of the fun of any trip but in Ireland you can go a step further and learn how to make them. Across the island there are many kitchen experiences that will introduce you to the art of making Ireland’s famous soda, wheaten and potato breads, sweet treats and traditional dinner recipes. From rustic farmhouses to world-renowned culinary institutions, there is a kitchen to suit every aspiring cook or those just seeking a fun, novel way to spend the afternoon with friends in a scenic setting.
Tucked away in County Roscommon in Ireland’s Hidden Heartlands, Margaret’s Kitchen offers an intimate, homestyle experience with a focus on traditional Irish baking and regional recipes. Margaret is passionate about preserving the art of home baking and about sustainability, sourcing her ingredients locally and seasonally. As she demonstrates the baking method, Margaret talks about the history of the food and the beautiful surrounding area, bringing a wonderful storytelling dimension to the experience.
At Mrs C’s Home Kitchen in County Down, you’ll find a warm welcome, amazing food and spectacular views over rolling farmland to the Mourne Mountains. As well as traditional baking experiences, there are classes on making Fifteens – a local sweet delicacy, and on how to make the perfect Irish coffee and stout bread.
Also in County Down is Tracey’s Farmhouse Kitchen, which has been welcoming visitors for many years to traditional breadmaking classes in the kitchen of a stunning eighteenth-century thatched cottage. Here Tracey demonstrates the age-old art of baking without weights or measures inviting people to slow down and to feel and see when the dough is ready to make the prefect bread. Sitting on the shores of tranquil Strangford Lough, Tracey’s Farmhouse Kitchen also offers experiences that combine fun on the water, such as canoeing or paddleboarding, with a lunch of delicious homemade breads, jams, butter and cake by the fireside. And if you find it hard to leave these peaceful surroundings, you can stay in the cosy cottage on site.
County Down has many other destinations worth checking out before or after your country kitchen experience. The mighty Mourne Mountains are a fabulous hiking spot, while Strangford Lough offers multiple water-based activities. The area is also brimming with history and heritage from grand manors such as Mountstewart and Castle Ward to the royal palace of Hillsborough, and it’s the location of Royal County Down, one of the world’s top championship golf courses.
If a cookery course at a world-class culinary school is what you are looking for, Ireland has one of the best. Regularly listed in the world’s top 10 cookery schools Ballymaloe Cookery School in County Cork is the only cookery school in the world situated on an extensive, organically certified farm from where it sources its ingredients. Classes range from a half-day beginners’ experience to a 12-week certified course that is ideal for those seeking a career in the culinary profession. The school was founded and is run by Darina Allen and her brother Rory, both award-winning cooks and best-selling authors who have had a profound influence on modern Irish cuisine.
Perhaps you’d like the superb Ballymaloe food experience without having to do the work yourself? Then just check into the adjacent Ballymaloe House Hotel, a luxury country house, and enjoy the finest, freshest food at this renowned dining destination.