Ballymabye

Over a year ago I started writing this blog not knowing how challenging it would be for me to finish the damn thing. And why is that? I loved this journey so much, I think it became a challenge of articulating how much it meant to me. That and procrastination. I was working a job that I had outgrown and needed a shake-up. I moved out of the country for four months. So the question becomes: was it worth it? If you’ve been following along since the start of the Ballymablog, I hope you can tell that it was indeed worth it (if you haven’t been following along, start here- it’s a real treat if I do say so myself). Am I worse off, financially? I am, yes. However, I am not in a job where I feel stuck. Instead, I learn something new every day. I am not questioning the what ifs- instead I am looking at them. I don’t regret my decision to blow up my life a little. I’m proud of my bravery and sense of self. 

I’ve had this final draft saved for over four months, not quite sure when was the right time to pick it back up. My friend Emma thought it’d be cute to drop on the year anniversary of my last day at Ballymaloe. Which just so happens to be today, December 9! So let’s jump back in. 

(catch up on the previous blog here- it’s been… awhile).

To catch you up, finals are fast approaching and goodbyes are imminent. But as I was gearing up to say goodbye, another surprise visitor joined me at the edge of the world! My dear pal Aubree took a solo trip to Portugal and very kindly scheduled a stop in Ireland to visit little old me on her way home. Like my past visitors, she took trains, planes and automobiles to arrive in the darling Shanagarry.  When I met her at the train station, she was in all black and John Lennon sunglasses. She had one leg propped up on the wall with her hands in her pockets, soaking in the day. She looked very cool. Alice was wearing her blue jacket and I was wearing my Taylor Swift hoodie. We were both hungover. Once we returned to the farm, I gave Aubree a tour of the grounds showing off the gorgeous place I would leave in under one week’s time. Highlights included: the girls (chickens), tennis courts, the greenhouse/glasshouse, the ladies (cows), and the shell house, which is exactly what it sounds like (a little house adorned with thousands of seashells). I thought about sending her in the hedge maze to get her zoomies out, but we simply did not have the time. 

Our former teacher, Pat, who has since left Ballymaloe to head chef at a very tasty restaurant in Cork, returned to take us on a sea foraging field trip. Pat’s knowledge of sea life was boundless. Every other step he took he found another piece of sea life to lecture about. He told us what was edible and how to use it in dishes. If I could take a full week of this class I would. My favorite thing to learn about was a specific moss found in Ireland called carrageen. This mostly flavorless moss acts as a natural gelatine like substance that can be a thickening agent in custards or puddings. I was thrilled to take Aubree on this sea foraging adventure.

Later that day we settled into the Black Bird Pub for some pints of Guinness. Unfortunately, it was then time for Aubree to head back into Cork for the evening so she could catch her flight home the following morning. A short little sprint of a day in Shanagarry, but well worth the familiar face.

Final Sunday

I haven’t talked about my photography background very much here, but I consider myself a talented little photographer. I picked up a lot of technical camera knowledge on the job while I was a food stylist and do headshots and event photography in Chicago for some extra bucks (If you are in the Chicago area and need a photographer, you know who to call). So when several of my friends expressed interest in getting some Ballymaloe headshots, I rose to the challenge. I made a schedule and gave all my pals 10-minute mini-sessions where I’d take portraits of them in their chef whites (chef coats).

Something fun about going to school on an organic farm is the consistency with which they practice conservation. I had permission to use one of our kitchens on the off day, however, to save energy, they kept the heat off. So there I sat fully bundled up taking pictures of my beautiful peers for four hours in 40º F/ 4ºC weather. Very charmingly, one of my friends made me a cup of hot tea to warm me up. 

After the sessions were complete, we had a little fun. If you remember from a few blogs ago, J Crew was at Ballymaloe taking photos for a winter campaign. A few of us decided to make the case for us to be featured in the campaign and recreated the photos with our beautiful faces. Please be sure to take a look at those photos below. 

Next, we should have all gone and studied. But our friend Daniel, who works for Ballymaloe, was making pizzas in the Bread Shed with leftover pizza dough the school had from an event. He also revealed that there was a leftover keg of beer from this event. So we had an impromptu pizza/beer party in the Bread Shed instead. This charming little side-quest made me sentimental. This was really cool. I’m glad I did this.

Final Monday

Last day of cooking

I had a lot of fun today and got to do some of my favorite things in the kitchen. It would not feel right to leave this place without one last visit from my friendly monster of the deep, the monkfish. I honestly do understand how this critter keeps landing on my cutting board but I can certainly filet this slimy bastard with confidence, which I suppose is the point of going to cooking school. I made a ceviche with my blessed monkfish. Ceviche is a Peruvian dish in origin that is typically a raw fish protein cured with a citrus juice and combined with vegetables and herbs. Very tasty and refreshing starter. If you’ll recall from my last blog, I wanted to make another cake during my time here and I accomplished this task. I made a chocolate yule log. We pulled out all the food styling stops on this one and my god was she gorgeous.

Our teacher, Jeni, revealed to us that this was her last day teaching with Ballymaloe after quite a lengthy tenure. So it was not only a bittersweet day for us but also for her. Jeni taught me a lot. She consistently checks in on her students and co-teachers. She did an exceptional job pushing me and my fellow students to produce things we could be proud of. 

It is at this time that I’d like to mention that my final week at Ballymaloe I got all 1’s on every single one of my cooks. If you recall from previous posts, this is the top grade you can receive. Personally, I think this generous grading was due to Jeni being sentimental on her last week. But, baby, we’ll take the win. Cheers, Jeni!

Final few days

I took my exams and they were tricky. For part one, we had to make a three-course meal and a bread in under three hours with no prep time. I made a spatchcock chicken with garlic and rosemary, white yeast bread, a tomato and cucumber dip, grilled vegetables with fresh herbs and aioli, and a lemon posset with vanilla lange du chat. While I did not do everything exactly the way I wanted to, I got food on the plate and lived to tell the tale. For part two, we had our written exams that involved herb, spice, and meat identification. While this was tricky, I trusted what I learned over the past 3 months and felt confident leaving the testing room. 

After being run ragged with testing it was time to celebrate all our hard work. Many of our instructors, led by Rory O’Connell, a head teacher, made a beautiful farewell dinner where we got to eat, drink and be merry. Afterwards we moseyed on over to the pub and began our goodbyes. 

It’s hard to put into words all the emotions I felt at this time. The faraway cookery school program I was anxious about for months was now in the rearview. All these people I loved (and was also annoyed with at times, but mostly loved) were about to say goodbye. My most prevailing feeling throughout it all was gratitude, a feeling that persists to this very day. I have made some dear friends here, people I will get to visit all over the world. Though I won’t see them or talk to them each day, the time I spent with them is permanent. What we accomplished together is permanent. You are all in my mind… permanently.

I think that is all I have for now. Thank a million <3 

P.s. maybe a bonus Ballymablog of all my post-Ballymaloe European adventures is on the horizon?? Perhaps a year in review? I don’t know. I’ll see ya when I see ya. Ballymabye.

I’d also like to express a huge thank you for my sweet and lovely partner Beau Feeny for helping me edit all these blog posts. Be so grateful that he likes me because he really did a lot of leg work to make this project readable. Love you, Beau <3

Grand Finale BallymaBlog playlist here