This morning was good. I made a roast chicken, herb stuffing, cranberry sauce, swede turnip purée and gravy. I had a bit of downtime while the chicken was in the oven so I practised segmenting oranges and offered them as hydrating snacks to everyone in the kitchen. I didn’t have a super frantic day so felt calm, relaxed and was able to present it all respectably. Today lots of people made Victoria sponges. I always thought that cake was very boring but made well with quality ingredients it’s spectacular.

In the afternoon we were taught by RACHEL ALLEN. She is a big deal in Ireland. She has cooking shows, books and is just a person you can’t not care about if you are into food.  She was so friendly, engaging and showed us some great recipes. Today was probably the first day where all the food has not started with a kilo of butter. Plus she pronounced my name correctly when she called the roll!

I learned : Turmeric is a super spice. It is anti – inflammatory, viral, bacterial. It is most potent when combined with black pepper.

Cashews are a natural anti-depressant. One of our teachers went around the kitchen with a big box today and made everyone eat three.

Food of the day : Roast chicken and couscous salad with pomegranate seeds and pistachio nuts. Yummy, girly, healthy food.

Line of the day : ‘A crumb coat on a cake is like Spanx. It sucks it all in!’ – Pam.

Órfhlaith