{"id":4606,"date":"2012-08-31T12:23:28","date_gmt":"2012-08-31T11:23:28","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.jameswhelanbutchers.com\/info\/?p=4606"},"modified":"2014-08-06T16:32:03","modified_gmt":"2014-08-06T15:32:03","slug":"long-table-dinner-at-ballymaloe","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jameswhelanbutchers.com\/info\/4606\/long-table-dinner-at-ballymaloe\/","title":{"rendered":"James Whelan Butchers: Long Table Dinner at Ballymaloe"},"content":{"rendered":"

I had the most wonderful afternoon recently, at a long table dinner in the glass house at Ballymaloe Cookery School<\/a>, Shanagarry, Co. Cork. I’ve been at the cookery school a number of times before, but this time we received a guided tour of the school and the gardens both formal and vegetable by Darina Allen. It’s an amazing place steeped in history that has been developed into a wonderful sustainable model that is very relevant to how agriculture could develop in Ireland. A tour of the gardens is very interesting with some of the oldest beech hedging, specimen plants and trees in Ireland. The gardens are almost like rooms in a house, each having a unique atmosphere and showcasing something different. A recent addition to the gardens has been the “Shell Cottage”. From the outside the cottage looks gothic and impressive, however walk inside and the detail is breathtaking.\u00a0I took some pictures on my phone of the day and if you ever get the opportunity to visit I would highly recommend you do so.<\/p>\n\n\t\t\t