'Our first lady of food.' The Irish Independent

'It's time to clear the kitchen shelves of all those glossy cookbooks you never open and make way for the Ballymaloe Cookery Course - it's the only one you'll need from now on.' The English Home

Ballymaloe is one of the world's best cookery schools and Darina Allen, its co-founder and main teacher, is in a league of her own. Every student who has gone through her school has begged her to write down her recipes and thoughts, tips and shortcuts, and here they are in this definitive teaching book, which has everything to inform and inspire you to become adventurous in the kitchen. Ballymaloe Cookery Course explains 1,175 recipes, 370 variations and more than 100 basic skills, from making pastry to the art of carving, from preserving lemons to making delicious home-made pasta, from culturing creamy yogurt to butterflying a leg of lamb: the simple instructions given by one of the world's great cookery teachers will inspire you to prepare and enjoy the art of fresh produce and fine food.

"At last, a truly user-friendly cookery manual... Lovely recipes and plenty of help for the new cook.'" - Observer Food Monthly

"It's a modern day Mrs Beeton" - Independent on Sunday