Today, Sunday was supposed to be a complete rest day ... but due to me leaving the window open overnight I was disturbed from my slumber by my good friends, the crows! I decided to take advantage of the peace and quiet (with the window closed) and had a bit of a lie in ... made some phones calls and wrote yesterdays blog post! I didn't manage to get out and about until around 1 p.m. ... it must have been a really bad "cold"! I had hoped to get some of the Gubbeen smoked pork, fresh eggs and sourdough from the school shop and then to cut some thick rashers and indulge a little ... to sooth my cold ... but unfortunately the shop was closed ... as it is most Sundays ... except last week, d'oh!

So off to Midleton I went in search of food, a pharmacy and a hair cut ! Success achieved! I then took a stroll along the cliff walk in Ballycotton but forgot to take photos (muppet) any way it's a good excuse to go back next weekend.

That evening ... after sharing a Greek salad with one of my house mates (Peggy) (I wanted some paximadi (Creatan rusks) in mine so I improvised with some local made rusky type cracker thingys! She's a convert I'm pleased to say!

Anyway ... life at Ballymaloe is famous for many things and amongst past students and other blogs one of the main pieces of advice is ... stay on top of your filing ... stay on top of your filing ... stay on top of your filing. I read it .. I heard it, I discussed it ... but until tonight I didn't understand it!

Every week we will get almost a hundred recipes and these need to be put into plastic sleeves and then into lever arched folders ... and categorised by type ... it's up to you how you do it but and example would be "Soups, breads, salads, mains meat, mains fish etc ...), these folders are checked as part of our final exams! Today I decided I am going to do this and stay on top of it, just get it done ... Three hours later I finished! Now bear in mind that as it was the first week it was after a light week ... next week it will be worse! For any potential students of the course that are reading this now or in the future ... do the filing the evening after you cook the bunch of recipes ... don't ask just do it ... 😊

I also did my order of work for tomorrow ... I am cooking ... Black-eyed bean stew with Mushrooms, Creme caramel with caramel sauce and caramel shards !!!

So ... my week in summary ... what did i learn or realise ...

lots of new techniques
that your home kitchen don't prove “nothing” !
how to make cheese!!!
how to bake pizza in a wood fired oven
how to forage (light lesson)
how to make sourdough
that snowflakes are all different!

I reckon that's good value for money ! Here's to tomorrow and another week in Ballymaloe!

Day Seven - A real day of rest ... kind of!