Tried & Tested: A beginner-friendly class at Howth Castle Cookery School

Cooking is something my boyfriend and I bonded over very early in our relationship. He’s more confident in the kitchen than I am—I generally don’t stray too much from a recipe for fear that my random additions will ruin it, while he’s comfortable making it up as he goes along—but we both love food and the ritual of preparing a meal together has become a big part of our lives.

Not to get too sentimental on you, but there is something special about creating something out of nothing and then sitting down to enjoy it after a long day. There isn’t time to think about emails or to-do lists when the pasta is bubbling over and you have to fold in the cheese (IYKYK) and while cooking can be stressful in its own way, it can also be quite a mindful activity; you have no choice but to be present, which is exactly what someone so chronically online as myself needs. 

When the opportunity arose to do a class at Howth Castle Cookery School, we both jumped at the chance. My boyfriend was coming into this with one prior cooking class under his belt but what I lacked in experience, I made up for in enthusiasm and we were actually a pretty good team if I do say so myself. We’ve spent plenty of time in the kitchen over the past two and a bit years, learning how to navigate each other’s foibles and we’ve developed a sort of short-hand that helps us avoid disaster, meltdown, or worse, burnt garlic (a cardinal sin according to our tutor Pierre Heyraud).

Originally opened in 2008 by the Gaisford-St Lawrence Family, the cookery school is based in the original 18th-century Georgian kitchen in the historic Howth Castle. Dating back to circa 1750, when it replaced an earlier Elizabethan structure, it’s an impressive room with ample space and a thirty-foot high cupola (the kitchen’s ventilation system). A quick look on their website will tell you that there are countless courses to choose from, all focusing on different things, from modern Irish food to bread workshops, Italian demos, seafood, steak and even a macaron-making class if your palette leans more sweet than savoury. We opted for the ‘Sharing Platters for Family and Friends’ class, hoping to come away with enough knowledge to impress at an imaginary future dinner party. One can never be too prepared, you know.

As I’m a pescatarian and don’t eat meat, our menu differed slightly from that of the other participants and instead of the orange and oregano chicken everyone else prepared, we made cod with a roasted red pepper, feta and breadcrumb crust. The rest of the components were the same: romesco sauce (incredibly delicious), a warm pistachio, basmati and pomegranate jewelled rice salad and a tasty raspberry, polenta and orange cake for dessert.

Aprons on, hands washed and a brief introduction later, we were ready to go. The kitchen was full so tutor Mark Taylor took one half of the room while we followed Pierre’s instructions. I learned how to slice properly (your knuckles should be against the blade of the knife as per Pierre, which seems counterintuitive but does work once you get the hang of it), how to deseed a pomegranate (slice it in half, hold it against the palm of your hand and use something to hit the back so the seeds fall into your hand) and that you should always pan sear whatever you’re preparing presentation-side first. 

The team are clearly well-versed in doing these classes and the whole thing was seamless – as soon as we were done with a bowl, someone appeared to take it from us and wash up… I wish I could hire someone to do that in my own home because there’s little worse than having to deal with a full sink after a few hours at a hot hob. When everything was ready, we brought our plates into the dining room and sat down to eat with a glass of wine. The cod was simple but so delicious, definitely something I’ll be trying to recreate again. I loved how easy it was to sub the meat option for something else – cooking for a crowd (or at least more than two people) can be difficult, especially if there are various dietary requirements to take into consideration so this was a great option that worked cohesively with the rest of the elements. Boiling the rice with cardamom pods, whole black peppercorns and a bay leaf was another trick I’ll most definitely be implementing again – afterwards, you can deseed the fennel and use it to flavour your water (and impress your guests). 

Naturally, one cooking class does not a Michelin chef make but I do feel like I learned enough to level up my current standard. Knowledge is power as they say and the more you know, the easier it is to loosen your grip on the ‘rules’ and experiment a bit more. New cooking hacks aside, it was also a great way way to push myself outside my comfort zone. I’m comfortable cooking for myself or with my boyfriend, but beyond that, I don’t seem to trust myself enough to deliver – this class proved that maybe all of that’s in my head. So, who’s up for Come Dine Me!?

Sarah Finnan was a guest of Howth Castle Cookery School. You can find out more information about their current classes on offer and book in here.