And after all this time, today was the last day of Ballymaloe as we knew it. After today, everyone would be packing and getting ready to embark on their next journeys.
We started off the day bright and early with exams. No easy way around them, sadly. I guess it's been so long since I took them that I've tried to erase the trauma from my memory. I think the toughest part was having to identify salad leaves herbs, whole spices, various cuts of meat (lamb, pork, chicken, game, beef), different types of seafood, AND 9 different types of citrus. AND come up with various recipes for them all (minus the salad leaves and citrus). That was just a small portion of the whole exam, too. It was pretty tough. Somehow though, I managed to wrack my brain for knowledge that was hiding amongst all of my happy Ballymaloe memories. I feel confident, but I guess only time will tell before I know the results of my performance.
In between the last two exams (there were THREE), we all sat down to our last lunch at Ballymaloe. My stomach had been incredibly upset for two weeks at this point, so all I could stomach was a little bit of celeriac soup and a bit of panna cotta - hah. Also nerves were getting to me. It was nice to sit among my fellow students and soak up as much of their good company as possible.
And then, all of a sudden, I put my pen down and realized I had done it - I had finished the course. How did that happen so fast?! Looking back at it now, it all feels like a dream! After that, reality hit me and only then did the full weight of how much I needed to pack hit me. AND help clean up the cottage with everyone. It all went smoothly, and by the time it came time to head over for our finale dinner, everything was well underway and nearly done.
It was such a lovely dinner party! I had already worked 2 pop-ups in the style of this one, so it was great to fully experience and enjoy the dinner without having to worry about any behind-the-scenes drama. It was so touching to see all of our instructors working to make our evening as delightful as possible. We started off with cocktails some canapés: pomegranate and mint with cava I think, and soft-scrambled eggs on sourdough toast with maybe another dish with salmon, I want to say. Whatever it all was, it tasted absolutely delicious, and hinted at the delectable feast that awaited us.
Regrettably, my camera was still stuck on a funky setting, so these were how the first pictures turned out before I realized I needed to switch it back. They still look pretty great though! Rory looks so happy in the last picture! :)
We started off the day bright and early with exams. No easy way around them, sadly. I guess it's been so long since I took them that I've tried to erase the trauma from my memory. I think the toughest part was having to identify salad leaves herbs, whole spices, various cuts of meat (lamb, pork, chicken, game, beef), different types of seafood, AND 9 different types of citrus. AND come up with various recipes for them all (minus the salad leaves and citrus). That was just a small portion of the whole exam, too. It was pretty tough. Somehow though, I managed to wrack my brain for knowledge that was hiding amongst all of my happy Ballymaloe memories. I feel confident, but I guess only time will tell before I know the results of my performance.
In between the last two exams (there were THREE), we all sat down to our last lunch at Ballymaloe. My stomach had been incredibly upset for two weeks at this point, so all I could stomach was a little bit of celeriac soup and a bit of panna cotta - hah. Also nerves were getting to me. It was nice to sit among my fellow students and soak up as much of their good company as possible.
And then, all of a sudden, I put my pen down and realized I had done it - I had finished the course. How did that happen so fast?! Looking back at it now, it all feels like a dream! After that, reality hit me and only then did the full weight of how much I needed to pack hit me. AND help clean up the cottage with everyone. It all went smoothly, and by the time it came time to head over for our finale dinner, everything was well underway and nearly done.
It was such a lovely dinner party! I had already worked 2 pop-ups in the style of this one, so it was great to fully experience and enjoy the dinner without having to worry about any behind-the-scenes drama. It was so touching to see all of our instructors working to make our evening as delightful as possible. We started off with cocktails some canapés: pomegranate and mint with cava I think, and soft-scrambled eggs on sourdough toast with maybe another dish with salmon, I want to say. Whatever it all was, it tasted absolutely delicious, and hinted at the delectable feast that awaited us.
Regrettably, my camera was still stuck on a funky setting, so these were how the first pictures turned out before I realized I needed to switch it back. They still look pretty great though! Rory looks so happy in the last picture! :)
When we sat down with the splendor of the outdoors that Rory had brought in, we got to snack on Tim's sourdough bread with homemade butter while reading the evening's menu. In the starter, we got a taste of Italy's new season olive oil, which was a vibrant green with a bite! We also got to try a red and a white wine, but the names of both escape me now. I do know that they were delicious at least! Probably the most wine I've had since I came here. Here was the menu:
It was all absolutely delicious!!!
- Starter: Spinach and lentil soup in the Tuscan style with pancetta and new season Tuscan olive oil
- Main: Slow roast shoulder of lamb with aioli and salsa verde
- Accompaniments: roast carrots, parsnip, red onion, and cavolo nero; salad of winter garden leaves
- Dessert: Chocolate and caramel with Jersey cream, myrtle berries, and nougatine
It was all absolutely delicious!!!
And just like this morning's exam, all of a sudden there was no more food to come out of the well-weathered kitchen, and it was time to say our goodbyes. Darina gave a wonderful speech, which was followed up with an equally moving speech by Linda. Darina might have met her match with Linda! Absolutely hilarious! :) Tim and I got some great pictures together! He's been a dear friend and teacher to me since coming here! :D I also got a great picture with Darina afterwards. What an uplifting group of people here on staff at Ballymaloe. I'm going to miss everyone!! But then again, I guess they here they never say goodbye - rather "cheerio for now."
After the dinner, pretty much everybody took a large bus to the Blackbird for one final hoorah. What a great time! We danced the night away together!! Nan and I had so much fun too :). It's amazing how close I've gotten to her and the other students in just a short 3 months!
I didn't go to bed until around 3:15 tonight. Last night I got around 4 hours of sleep, and the night before that a mere 5. I can't wait to be back on a normal sleep schedule! At the same time I just don't want to sleep so that I can be with everyone for just a little bit longer before I have to go home! I can't believe that tomorrow is the last day :(.
Love,
Livvy
Love,
Livvy