UPDATE; THIS RETREAT HAS BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO THE COVID19 PANDEMIC. WE HOPE TO RESCHEDULE IN FUTURE,

We are pleased to announce Lens & Larder Spring 2020, Dispatches from Ballymaloe: A Visual Study in Slow Food, where we will team up with acclaimed Norwegian food photographer and cookbook author, Marte Marie Forsberg and world-renowned Ballymaloe House and Cookery School for a retreat like no other.

Under the spirited tutelage of Marte Marie Forsberg, we offer you a workshop that celebrates and visually documents a most exceptional farm-to-table food experience, anchored in the unparalleled ethos of sustainability and organic slow food methods of award-winning Ballymaloe Cookery School in Shanagarry, Co.Cork, Ireland. 

During our retreat, participants will learn and develop their photography skills while being based at the enchanting Ballymaloe House. We will study and explore the farm, gardens and cookery school; capturing and learning time-honoured traditional farmhouse skills (from udder to butter), attend and an in-depth fermentation class, gather in the glasshouse for a formidable lesson in food and table styling, visit the breathtaking Atlantic nearby for a spot of coastal foraging, and sip a creamy pint at a classic local pub for good measure.

Marte Marie Forsberg is a photographer, visual story teller, and writer. Originally from a small coastal town in the south of Norway, she now calls a small village in the English countryside home.

Marte Marie regularly works as a food and lifestyle photographer, working on food and travel articles and creating visual stories for magazines and brands. 

Her work has been featured in newspapers, magazines and online articles around the world. Her use of photography to tell compelling and heart-warming stories can be enjoyed on her Instagram, and during her Food and Photography workshops globally.

Marte Marie's passion for photography and cooking lead her to write her first cookbook, The Cottage Kitchen, which is a testament to Marie's journey, her story told through one-hundred recipes and beautiful images. The Cottage Kitchenis less of a collection of recipes as it is Marte Marie's story told through the medium of beautiful imagery and mouth-watering dishes. 

Historic Ballymaloe House is located in East Cork and set deep within the lush countryside accessible by tree lined avenues and surrounded by flourishing gardens and surrounding parklands and woodlands. Conde Nast Traveler Magazine included Ballymaloe House on their prestiqious 2015 Gold List – the only Irish venue on the list. Ballymaloe House, opened in 1964 by the “Godmother” of Farm-to-Table cooking, Myrtle Allen and her husband Ivan, serves only the best home grown and locally sourced produce. The Ballymaloe Café and Craft shop and coffee roastery are right alongside Ballymaloe House.

Accommodation at Ballymaloe House is simple and elegant. The rooms are calm and relaxing with beautiful views over the fields as well as cosier rooms at the top of the house in the eaves. The newer, light filled garden rooms are at the back of the house and look on to the river and oak and horse chestnut trees beyond. The house is filled with paintings and drawings by well-known Irish modern artists, as well as examples of Irish studio pottery.

Ballymaloe Cookery School and Gardens are 4km from Ballymaloe House. Ballymaloe Cookery School, established by Ireland’s best known cook and best-selling author, Darina Allen and her brother & chef, Rory O’Connell, has been delivering a first class culinary education to students all over the world since 1983, carrying on a long-standing tradition of excellence and the Slow Food philosophy. Ballymaloe Cookery School sits on a 100 acre organic farm near the sea amidst the undulating landscape of beautiful East Cork. Students benefit from the produce of the farm, gardens and one acre wide glasshouses which yield an abundance of fruit and vegetables throughout the year. Ballymaloe free-range livestock include pigs, beef and dairy cows (Angus, Kerry, Dexter and Jerseys), as well as many hens who keep the school in a supply of fresh, organic eggs. godmother of farm to table

PRICE:

2495 euros per person (individual double room) or 

2250 euros per person sharing (twin room sharing) 

Click on BOOKING tab to register.

TUITION INCLUDES:

3 nights accommodation at the exquisite Ballymaloe House, welcome cocktail reception and 3 course dinner, full Irish breakfast each morning, lunch each day, a lighter supper the second evening, and the exquisite Ballymaloe 5-Course menu on our farewell evening. Wine and/or soft drinks at each meal. 

Accommodation in standard rooms. Superior rooms may be booked at €30 supplement each night.

All Classes and workshop sessions with Marte Marie, Ballymaloe Farm & Cookery School, and the Lens & Larder team. 

All the Lens & Larder Feels!

NOT INCLUDED:

Flights, Airport transfers to Ballymaloe (although we are happy to help with arrangements if needed), travel insurance (highly recommended as there are no refunds). 

This workshop is for all levels. A DSLR is recommended. Basic knowledge of your own camera settings is required to get the most from the workshop. 

Images from Marte Marie Forsberg. Ballymaloe images with permission by Daniel Callen. Coastal images with permission by Christopher Michel.

Lens & Larder collaborates with world-class photographers, stylists and writers who serve as gentle tutors during each learning retreat. 

Each workshop is individually tailored, some teach informally with a hands-on in the field approach, and some will have structured master classes and demonstrations; most will have both of these elements. You will get a chance to spend one-on-one time with your mentor and get to know them outside of the workshop as well.

Lens & Larder is an extraordinary journey of visual storytelling, filled with teaching , creativity, adventures and fantastic opportunities to spend time with interesting and like-minded people while experiencing the terroir and culture of the destination at hand.

We make an effort to seek out exceptional places to stay and learn in Ireland and abroad - castles, country guesthouses, grand estates, farmsteads, boutique hotels, and more.

Some of our past talent include: Gentl & Hyers  |  Susan Spungen |  Beth Kirby {Local Milk}  |  Marte Marie Forsberg   |  Yvette Van Boven & Oof Verschueren  |  Mimi and Oddur Thorisson |  Renée Kemps  |  Ditte Isager  |  David Prior