“Food is the petro we put in the tank…” -Darina Allen, head chef at Ballymaloe Cookery School
This stop on the Ireland tour was so meaningful to me–I love to cook, and I love food. It was a true blessing to be able to hear Darina speak about her views on food today and how what we put into our bodies really does make a difference in our lifestyles. She began the day’s talk with telling us that she believes every chef should have to spend a year on a farm before being allowed in the kitchen. This philosophy of her’s stems from the fact that she feels we, human beings with our busy lifestyles, are becoming disconnected from the earth. So….it is of no suprise that when aspiring chefs from all over the world show up at her school, they are given a seed, a plant marker, and a mound of earth. Their first task is to grow the plant from seed and learn to appreciate the process by which we all get the food we eat.
Then, the students are given their first recipe: How to make compost! She says at this point, the culinary students are wondering if they’ve enrolled in the right program. :) Needless to say, the students get to work learning about compost and feeding the earth–the natural way.
But let me back up a minute. Everything that is used in the kitchens, is grown on the school grounds. The fruit garden is unique in that the apple and pear trees are grown on arches. This technique not only saves space, but the arches also support the weight of the ripening fruit. Peach trees are pruned to grow up the walls of the buildings, for similiar reasons. The vegetable garden is on a four-year crop rotation cycle. This process cuts down on diseases and replenishes the nutrients to the soil. The herb garden was a sight to behold, not to mention the pleasure I gained from just walking around and smelling all the fresh herbs. Beehives produce local honey, and as you might have already figured out, even all the animals and dairy products are raised right on the cookery school grounds.
Remember the compost recipe? Well, everything the student deems a scrap, is reused, in some form. For example, you know all the vegetable “ends” we cut off and throw away? That would not happen at this school!! The first place they go are into a stock pot to make vegetable stock. Then they are strained and given to the pigs and chickens for feed, which eventually turns into manure, and is used to fertilize the crops. What a novel idea!
Students can enroll in courses–the serious culinary students take 12 week courses, in which they stay in cottages on the grounds. The general public can take day courses or 2-3 day courses, depending on what is being offered and what interests you. We were able to walk through the demo kitchen, and the smells from the 2-day course, Cooking with Spices, were absolutely mouth-watering. This is an experience I will never forget!!
Ballymaloe Picture Gallery
