Birr hotel to host Junior Chef Academy

The County Arms Hotel in Birr has launched its first ever Junior Chef Academy, which will take place in the hotel and its gardens over the upcoming mid-term break for young people aged eleven to 17. Young chefs will join County Arms head chef Jason Daly for a fun introduction to food and cooking from October 29 until November 2. Those taking part will learn how to bake bread and cook dishes including pizza and pumpkin pie. The focus of the Junior Chef Academy will be on the use of home grown and fresh food where possible. Classes will run every day from 9.30am until 1pm, with the course divided into a varied mix of modules from live demonstrations to hands-on cookery tuitions. The hotel gardens will be used during the course when course attendees are introduced to many of the fresh ingredients used by chef Jason as well as the resident chickens. They will be given a lesson on how to keep chickens at home as well as collecting free range eggs for use in cooking. A visit to the nearby award winning Mossfield Organic Farm to view the cheese making process with Ralph Haslam promises to be a highlight of the week. Being situated in the heart of the midlands there is also plenty for parents to enjoy in the local area while the kids are busy in the kitchen, from fine dining in Birr town or nearby Crinkill to taking a trip on the River Shannon stopping at the beautiful monastic site of Clonmacnoise on the way, to a buggy ride through Birr Castle, horse riding through Lough Boora and even a visit to the Slieve Bloom mountains. Each evening at dinner the entire family will get to taste the fine delights prepared and cooked by the junior chefs who, no doubt, will be eager to please. Commenting at the launch, Peter Loughnane of the County Arms Hotel said he is delighted to announce this exciting new cookery course. "We take great pride in our efforts to source and use as much local and fresh produce in our kitchen as possible and are passionate about passing those values onto the next generation," he said. "We are very lucky in that we are in a prime location in the midlands and have the talents and expertise of our head chef Jason Daly to offer. It promises to be a great success and I would urge families to book early to avoid disappointment as places are limited." To coincide with the launch of the Junior Chef Academy, the County Arms Hotel is running a special family offer for the mid-term break. Packages at the County Arms Hotel can be booked via www.countyarmshotel.com or by calling 057 9120791.