There may be no such thing as a free lunch, but you can enjoy free two-hour-long Mexican cookery classes at Café Azteca on Lord Edward Street in Dublin 2.

There is a €15 fee for ingredients, but as you also get to tuck into the meal you have created, it’s still a bargain. Cafe owner Hugo Camacho Romero is passionate about the food from his native country, and classes have become so popular that he now runs them several times a week. Sopes and quesadillas are the first thing he teaches new converts. A second class covers mole and tamales. Lest you think anyone can make quesadillas – just open the pack of tortillas, a jar of salsa and some grated cheese – think again; at Café Azteca you’ll be making your own corn tortillas, as well as salsa and guacamole.

Camacho Romero, who studied international law at the Sorbonne in Paris, “but always wished I had gone to catering college”, imports authentic ingredients including cornflour, dried chillies, mole powder and chipotles from Mexico to sell in the cafe, and he also posts orders anywhere in Ireland. Classes are held in the cafe; tel: 087-2413581, azteca.ie

The second Mexican Food Festival takes place on September 16th to 25th at the Hilton Hotel, Charlemont Place, Dublin 2