When Ballymaloe's doors opened to students in 1983 there were 15 courses available. Now there are over 100, reflected in the recipes collected here, including curing meat, making gluten-free meals and sushi as well as learning forgotten skills like producing butter and cheese and beekeeping. The book chronicles how the school has been at the forefront of cooking and food trends since its inception, from Darina's championing of the Slow Food movement and her highlighting the importance of using local, seasonal and fresh produce to installing a wood-burning oven and expanding its gardens so students can learn the importance of eating less meat and more veg and preserving heirloom varieties of produce. A fascinating insight into Ballymaloe, this is also a history of food over the past thirty years, from a time when Darina couldn't get anything other than pre-packaged, grated Parmesan cheese to one where a local producer makes his own mozzarella.