BACK TO SCHOOL:Ireland has gone cookery school crazy. There are new places to learn to cook, or perfect your skills, springing up all over the country.Here are 10 not-to-be-missed courses, writes Marie Clare-Digby
TASTE KITCHENS
The Taste of Dublin (June 12th-15th) and Taste of Cork (June 27th-29th) events feature a star-studded line-up of guest chefs who will be doing demonstrations in the Drumm's Chefs' Theatre.
Big names taking part include Gino D'Acampo; Angela Hartnett, Atul Kochhar; Antony Worrall Thompson, and our own Dylan McGrath, Oliver Dunne, Clodagh McKenna, Ross Lewis and Neven McGuire. Details of who is appearing when, are available on the website www.tastefestivals.ie.
The Ballymaloe Cookery School will also be offering hands-on classes, given by Darina Allen, Rachel Allen, Rory O'Connell and Pamela Black, at the Dublin event. The hour-long classes will cost €20 and will include ingredients and equipment.
DINNER PARTIES TO IMPRESS
There's a new chef at the stoves in Castle Leslie, Co Monaghan, and he comes with impressive credentials. American Matthew King cooked for two US presidents while working at Essex House in New York, and prior to taking up the reins at Castle Leslie, he was head chef at the well-known New York steakhouse, Smith & Wollensky. His two-day Dinner Parties to Impress course next weekend (June 14th-15th, €350) promises to be far more imaginative than its dull title suggests.
www.castleleslie.com, 047-88100.
CALIFORNIAN CUISINE
Californian chef Brian Miller has been executive chef at the Culinary Institute of America in Napa Valley as well as working with big US names such as Jacques Pepin, and now he's Dublin-based and working with Ross Lewis at Chapter One. His one-day Californian Cuisine course (€195) at the stylish Dublin Cookery School in Blackrock on Saturday, June 28th, is not to be missed.
www.dublincookeryschool.ie, 01-2100555.
THE GREAT OUTDOORS
Cooking outdoors, and coping even when it rains, is a popular theme at the Belle Isle School of Cookery, near Enniskillen, Co Fermanagh. The two-day course on June 28th-29th (£310, including accommodation) is totally geared towards cooking outdoors, and includes safe food tips.
www.irish-cookery-school.com, 00-44-(0)28-6638-7231.
BBQ SKILLS
Barbecue classes at the cooking school attached to Dunbrody Country House in scenic Arthurstown, Co Wexford, are the fastest sellers on their programme, but there is still availability for Wednesday, June 25th (€165, including lunch), and extra dates have been added in July. Classes here are small, no more than 10, and tuition is superb.
www.dunbrodyhouse.com, 051-389600.
GHAN HOUSE LOCAL PRODUCE
Ghan House on the Cooley peninsula in Co Louth is surrounded by an abundance of top-notch ingredients. The one-day, hands-on course on Sunday, July 6th (€105, including lunch), showcases Carlingford mussels, oysters, lobster, as well as lamb and beef. Course tutor is Paula McIntyre.
www.ghanhouse.com, 042-9373682.
ESSENTIAL INTERMEDIATE
Take a week of your holidays and spend it moving your cooking skills up a gear, working with other accomplished cooks and firing your culinary inspiration at Cooks Academy in Dún Laoghaire. Week-long course begins Monday, July 28th (€650). Classes 10am-4pm Mon-Fri.
www.cooksacademy.com, 01-2145002.
SOUTHERN ITALIAN WORKSHOP
Catherine Fulvio's husband, Claudio, is from Sicily, so she is well versed in the cuisine of this part of Italy, and her Southern Italian courses at Ballyknocken Cookery School in Ashford, Co Wicklow, come highly recommended. You'll have to wait till Sunday, September 14th for an opening, when the 9.30am-1.30pm class will cost €110, including lunch.
www.thecookeryschool.ie, 0404-44627.
TRISH'S PARIS KITCHEN
If you enjoyed Northern-Ireland born, Paris-based Trish Deseine's cookery programme on RTÉ television, book a place on her day-long course at the Ballymaloe Cookery School in Co Cork on Monday, September 15th (€250 including lunch).
Consider staying on for Philip Dennhardt's How to Cure a Pig in a Day course which takes place the following day (€235). You could also fit in a final class on Wednesday morning - A Taste of India (€120), which is a half-day course given by Darina Allen. This will incorporate new recipes inspired by her recent travels there.
www.cookingisfun.ie, 021-4646785.
FABULOUS FOOD TRAILS
Pamela and Eveleen Coyle's "food trails" now include day-long explorations of the food of India, Thailand, Japan, as well as a chocolate trail hosted by French chocolatier Benoit Lorge.
Participants learn to temper chocolate, make fillings, and produce their own handmade chocolates to take away with them, as well as enjoying a few samples, along with a glass of champagne. The next chocolate trail is on September 20th (€135), at Tribeca, 65 Ranelagh Road, Dublin 6.
www.fabulousfoodtrails.com, 01-4971245.