Cookery demonstrations and classes can inject a bit of fun and insight into an incentive trip to Ireland. Whether it is ingredients fresh from the farm, traditional Irish recipes or tasting a new food, cookery adds an extra dimension to a successful incentive trip.
Enjoying culinary arts at Ballyknocken Cookery School
European cuisine is justly famous around the world, with food lovers travelling from afar to sample the gastronomic delicacies that the continent has to offer. However there is a corner of Europe tucked away in the north-west that is sometimes overlooked by foodie fans. Irish cuisine is making headlines all over the world, both for innovation and for unknown traditional delicacies, and is fast becoming a foodie heaven.
The stereotypical view of Irish food (like the view of Irish weather) is that it is to be endured rather than enjoyed. But this perception is changing rapidly and incorporating a cookery lesson or food tasting to a program can help introduce your guests to the vibrant, lesser-known world of Irish cuisine. According to Aideen Loftus MD, Aspects of Ireland, a DMC, “Irish food is different; it has its unique culture and background.” The uniqueness of Irish cuisine makes it the perfect complement to the landscape in which it was created.
Ireland’s chefs
Ireland has an abundance of chefs throughout the country whose dedication to their craft helps ensure the highest standards. Participants on a recent Fáilte Ireland US MICE familiarisation trip were treated to a presentation by one of Ireland’s best-known chefs, Neven Maguire. According to Paula Ward of Paula Ward’s Ireland (DMC) he “spoke with great passion about the food and culinary offerings in Ireland, which greatly impressed this very important group of meeting and incentive planners.” Paula Ward also recently organised a private cookery lesson for an incentive group with one of Ireland’s most renowned chefs Darina Allen at Ballymaloe Cookery School, which went down a treat with the participants (if you will pardon the pun).
Team Building through cooking
Another of our celebrity chefs is Catherine Fulvio who often works in partnership with DMC’s and incentive groups at Ballyknocken House & Cookery School in County Wicklow. She specialises in team building through cooking. For incentive groups, she might show you how to bake brown bread or how to make Irish coffees – or even your own Irish coffee ice cream!
City and countryside cuisine
Small groups staying in Dublin might consider the Kitchen in the Castle, a cookery school in the tastefully restored Georgian kitchens in Howth Castle, near one of the most scenic of Dublin’s seafronts. Another Dublin-based option is Alix Gardner’s Cookery School where an incentive group will go on a trip to buy their ingredients first and then cook up their very own Irish dish.
For the more adventurous participants Irish cuisine can be experienced outside the confines of hotels and restaurants. Loftus makes an effort to add variety and spontaneity to the planned menus for each trip, incorporating dishes that groups have seen at cookery demonstrations and the occasional picnic for their guests. A sample picnic involved a spread created by Peter Ward of Country Choice (a delicatessen expert) who served a spread including Tipperary apple juice, artisan cheese and organic beef burgers, summing up the elegant simplicity that typifies Irish cuisine at its best.
So who’s getting hungry for Irish food now? What’s your favourite Irish food/cuisine?