The Julia Child of Ireland

"600 glossy pages for those who yearn to gather sorrel, cure ham, grow radishes, clot cream, smoke mussels, or just make a really good sponge cake." The New York Times

A couple of years ago a friend shared with me about a wonderful cooking school in Ireland that we should go to. Since further information gathering found that it cost $13,000 for a 10 week course, that plan was quickly put aside. But recently while looking through the latest Victoria magazine, I found an article about the school and the latest book, "Forgotten Skills of Cooking: The Time Honored Ways Are the Best" by Darina Allen. To quote from her, "In the past 20-30 years, many people have concentrated on careers and a certain set of academic skills. The subliminal message coming through our educational system, and in many cases from parents as well, was that cooking and gardening were skills that one shouldn't be bothered with and would never need to know. But the path of life doesn't always run smoothly and so many confident young people who were riding the crest of a wave are suddenly forced to face the reality that they are virtually helpless in a changed situation. So part of the mission of this book is to urge parents and grandparents not to allow any more of our young people to leave home without the life skills they need, not only to survive, but also to enhance the quality of their lives. With oil supplies diminishing and energy prices rising, we are likely to need these skills even more in the future." I found the book on Amazon and it arrived earlier this week. I don't know which was more exciting, the trip to Gulf Shores or finding this package waiting for me when we drove up our drive! The pictures of Ireland scattered throughout makes it especially enjoyable to browse through on St. Patrick's Day. And any book that has a satin ribbon marker is a keeper!