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A change is as good as a rest, which is why a voucher to attend Ballymaloe Cookery School makes for the perfect staff gift

When we think of going away on holidays we often imagine arriving at a wonderful hotel where all our needs can be seen to by a member of the ever-efficient staff. We think that all we need to get out of our stressful lives is to lie down and relax, and read our crisp, newly purchased book from morning till evening, and we will be blissfully content.

As we all know, the truth is that after about 20 minutes most of us are looking around for something to do. It’s too early for a visit to the bar and we’re too old to take a ride in the pool slide again. At Ballymaloe Cookery School they believe 'a change is as good as a rest', and they look after all their short-course guests by keeping them busy.

What does that mean? Well, take a look at this busy itinerary.

Morning Milking 

Start the day at 7am by going into the fields with Maria the Dairy Queen and bringing in the small herd of Jersey cows ready for their morning milking. Stand and watch or get stuck in with the milking - it’s up to you. Whichever you choose, you’ll learn a lot, as Maria talks you through the process of making butter, cheese and yoghurt in the micro-dairy.

Delicious Breakfast

After milking is finished, you can head back into the warmth of the cookery school to sit down to a delicious breakfast of freshly baked bread (still warm from the oven), Macroom Stone Ground Porridge and a selection of jams, cheeses and mueslis.

In Association with

Start to Cook

After breakfast, their teachers will take you into the kitchen, where the ingredients for the recipe you chose to cook are all ready for you. Throughout the morning, the experienced teachers will help you at every step to ensure that you are learning and making the perfect dish. Once your cooking is complete, you can bring your dishes to the dining room, where you sit to have lunch and discuss the morning’s cooking with your fellow students.

Demonstration Masterclass

After enjoying a delicious lunch and a cup of coffee with your dessert, you get a few minutes to enjoy the occasional east Cork sunshine before heading into the demonstration kitchen to watch Darina, Rachel or Rory giving a demonstration masterclass.

With often almost a dozen recipes, complete with tips, tricks and techniques, woven into the narrative of the afternoon, it is a busy two hours. This is followed by a tasting plate at the end of the demonstration, which gives you a little foresight of what your cooking will produce the following day.

Shared Experiences

Even the evenings at Ballymaloe Cookery School are busy, with wine shared with your housemates for the week, bringing back a sense of community and shared experience that is often missing in our busy, myopic modern lives.

Tax Free Voucher

Every year, a company can give their staff a voucher for up to €500 tax free to the staff member and the company. This year, why not treat your staff to a change and have them come back to work rejuvenated and excited by a busy few days with Ballymaloe Cookery School.

Buy a voucher now at www.cookingisfun.ie/voucher, email us at info@cookingisfun.ie or phone us on +353 21 464 6785.

Pictured (l-r): Rory O’Connell, Darina Allen and Rachel Allen provide the cookery masterclasses at Ballymaloe