Maybe not easy, but definitely cheesy: Cheese doesn't have to come from a shop - you can learn the basics and take home a kilo of cows' milk cheese that you've made yourself by attending one of a series of summer cheese schools run by Silke Cropp in Co Cavan.
Cropp, who came to Ireland from Germany in 1982, began making cheese to use up excess milk from her goats, and has won many international awards for her produce. Summer school participants will make and take home a 1kg cows' milk cheese, which they can then mature in whatever style they prefer. Three months later, there is a reunion at which mature cheeses will be tasted and compared. The €150 cost includes instruction, raw materials, lunch with a wine-tasting session, and the reunion. The summer schools take place at Corleggy, Belturbet, Co Cavan on June 25th and July 2nd, 23rd and 30th, 10am-6pm. Book with Freda on 086-3871285. Marie-Claire Digby
Chefs in the garden
On June 22nd-25th, the kitchens of some of Dublin's most prestigious restaurants - among them L'Ecrivain, Chapter One, Diep Le Shaker, Town Bar & Grill, the Unicorn and Peploes - will set up in the gardens of Dublin Castle for an alfresco food and drink event. There will also be a chance to watch well known chefs such as Richard Corrigan, Antony Worrall Thompson, Kevin Dundon, Rachel Allen and Derry Clarke at work in the Brown Thomas Demonstration Theatre. Tickets cost €25-€75 from www.ticketmaster.ie. Marie-Claire Digby