On Friday we took our final exams. There were three papers, lasting 5 1/2 hours, covering topics like food hygiene, business, recipes, cooking terminology and herb, spice, meat and fish recognition. Recognising joints of meat and fish was the hardest part for me. Kitchen 3 was a house of horrors. We were sent in groups of about ten, and had to walk around the room observing cuts of meat and fish including a live lobster. Then we went back to our desks and had to give recipes each of them are used in. I was very pleased with myself for remembering a salmon recipe, only to learn afterwards that it was a pollock. Damn.

We also submitted our recipe files -with an index- on Friday morning. Mine went from chaos to slightly more ordered chaos over the course of the week.

After the exams we had a few hours to blitz the cottages and pack our bags, and then the last supper.

Rory cooked a sublime three course meal.  Meltingly tender lamb, bright tomatoes and raspberries and who knew scrambled eggs on toast could make such a fabulous canapé? He knows what he’s doing.

Darina made an emotional farewell speech urging us to follow our dreams and the next morning we said teary goodbyes and left. IT’S OVER! 

I will miss : 

My friends. This is Blazin’ Squad. The coolest kids in school.

The farm.

The nature – East Cork is gorgeous.

Looking around. Ballymaloe is a very visually stimulating place. Roosters, flowers, cakes…

Line of the day : Words of wisdom from Darina. “Just ask. If they say no, ask again!” Be persistent.

Órfhlaith