Back in January, I did a weekend cooking course in East Cork taught by Rory O'Connell, who, together with his sister Darina Allen, set up Ballymaloe Cookery School nearly 25 years ago. I nearly died with pleasure. O'Connell still teaches at Ballymaloe, but has also set up his own classes in the kitchen of his nearby Georgian farmhouse in Ballycotton, which has views to the sea on one side and opens out onto a rose garden complete with wandering chickens on the other.

Because the courses are bespoke, you learn a lot more than you might at a more off-the-peg course. I picked up more in my two days with him than in 10 years of cooking, reading, asking and experimenting with food.

We were four on our course, and fairly experienced, but we wanted to learn about cooking more intimidating fish (lobster, crab, flat fish), and how to make some of the sauces we tended to avoid: hollandaise, for example, and beurre blanc. A bread-making lesson was also on our list. Beyond that, we welcomed his suggestions, which he emailed us a few weeks before we were due to arrive. I was staggered by how much was on the list - it was four pages long - and surmised that, if we got through half of it, we'd be doing well. In fact we covered it all, bar raspberry jam.

O'Connell grew up in a village called Cullohill, in the Laois midlands of Ireland, one of nine children of a clearly amazing woman called Elizabeth O'Connell, who cooked every day for her family using simply what the land and sea provided. So the family -Darina is the eldest, Rory the eighth - ate things like pheasant and wild salmon, in the way that the rest of us were reared on drumsticks and fish fingers.

Meanwhile, in 1948, in Shanagarry, Cork, Myrtle Allen and her husband Ivan had bought Ballymaloe House - a Georgian farmhouse built around a 15th-century Norman castle - together with 400 acres of surrounding farmland. While Ivan ran the farm and grew fruit and vegetables, Myrtle began practising what is now known and revered as Irish country cooking, and, by 1964, without any precedent or example, she had transformed Ballymaloe, too big for her and Ivan even with their six children, into a restaurant and hotel. It was this restaurant that attracted first the young Darina O'Connell (who married the Allen's eldest son Tim), and then her brother Rory, who in 1994 began a 10-year tenure as the restaurant's head chef.

O'Connell has also worked in Paris (La Ferme Irlandaise), London (Chez Nico with Nico Ladenis), Oxford (Manoir aux Quat'Saisons with Raymond Blanc) and California (Chez Panisse with Alice Waters). Waters and O'Connell are still close, and indeed she came to Cork in late April to stay with him.

Over the course of two days I learnt to make pretty much everything I could have wished, from cavolo-nero risotto, to pheasant and chorizo casserole, to molten gingerbread. But I also learnt the principles behind the cuisine, everything from how to segment an orange to how to set gelatine. I discovered the difference between French and Italian meringue, how to fillet a fish and joint a chicken, and how to line a baking tray with parchment in about three seconds.

I have been back to Cork twice since then - though to eat and shop rather than cook. At a farmers' market I bought several types of chorizo and cheese, sold by Fingal Ferguson of Gubbeen Farmhouse Products. Gubbeen is typical of the way farmers and growers and cooks in Cork combine their considerable forces to produce such extraordinarily good and straightforward food. Fingal's father rears cattle on the farm's organic land. Mother Giana makes the Gubbeen cheese from the uniquely flavoured milk. The whey from the cheese is made into food for the pigs whose meat is used in his dry-cured smoked meat products, which, in their turn, are flavoured with herbs grown by his sister. Then on to Ardsallagh, to pick up some of the award-winning goats' cheese made by Jane Murphy.

Lunch beckons - cooked by O'Connell. As he spoons poaching liquid into his mayonnaise I learn, in about five minutes, about chickweed (a small green leaf that seeds itself and looks like a weed but is delicious in salads), when plaice is in season, why my soda bread always comes out too crumbly, how I should never buy skimmed milk (but instead just water down full-fat milk) and about broad-bean leaves, which turn out to be delicious. 'Doesn't it taste intensely of pea?' O'Connell says, full of pleasure. Of course he is right.

Old-fashioned poached chicken with wild watercress cream and summer vegetables

I love the flavour of a poached chicken. You will end up with lots of delicious broth to eat with the chicken or to keep for making soups or broths later. Choose the best-quality chicken available, preferably organic or at least free-range. The choice of vegetables is yours and one really fresh vegetable is much better than a selection of inferior ones.

The watercress cream is really a mayonnaise flavoured with peppery watercress and thinned to a coating consistency with some of the chicken poaching liquid.

Serves 4

1.5kg best-quality chicken
1 onion, peeled and quartered
1 carrot, peeled and quartered
1 sprig of thyme
1 sprig of parsley
2 black peppercorns
pinch of sea salt
cold water, to cover the chicken

Vegetables to accompany

12 small summer carrots
6 small courgettes
12 small green onions or scallions
1 bunch of watercress, chopped
knob of butter
220ml mayonnaise

Place the chicken, vegetables, herbs and seasonings in a saucepan. It should not be too tight a fit but, on the other hand, don't have it floating around in an enormous pot. Cover with cold water and bring slowly to a boil. Some foamy froth may rise to the top as it comes to the boil. Skim off this froth as economically as possible and simmer the chicken uncovered for two hours until cooked. Keep the chicken covered by the liquid to ensure it is properly cooked. You don't want it to reduce and get too strong at this stage.

While the chicken is poaching, prepare the vegetables. Scrub the carrots, leaving a little green on top if you like. Top and tail the courgettes and slice thickly. Trim the hairy root off the onions and cut into 15cm lengths. Chop the rest of the onions finely for garnishing the dish later. Melt the butter in a small pan and wilt the chopped watercress until it collapses softly. When the chicken is cooked, remove from the pot and keep warm in a low oven. Strain out the vegetables and herbs and discard. Let the liquid sit for five minutes and then skim as much fat as possible from the surface.

Place a pint of the skimmed liquid in a small saucepan and bring to the boil. Add another pinch of salt. Add the carrots and cook for five minutes. Now add the courgettes and cook for a further five minutes. Finally add the onions and cook for five minutes longer. All the vegetables should be tender by now. Strain off 113ml of the vegetable-cooking liquid and whisk it into the mayonnaise to achieve a sauce of coating consistency. Add the wilted watercress to the sauce. Taste and correct the seasoning, adding a little lemon juice if it needs to be sharpened up.

Carve the chicken and serve with the vegetables, a sprinkling of the chopped onion tops, the remaining vegetable-cooking broth and the mayonnaise passed separately in a sauceboat.

Chilled ruby-beetroot soup

Golden beetroots can be used in exactly the same way as the ruby variety. I sometimes make a little of both colours and serve them swirled together. Lots of finely chopped chives and their pink flowers help to make a pretty presentation. Save the leaves of the beets for wilting or for adding to your salad bowl.

Serves 8

800g whole beetroot
225g chopped onions
50g butter
salt, pepper and sugar
1.2l light chicken stock
150ml pouring cream
300ml natural, unsweetened yoghurt
handful of chives, to garnish

Wash the beets under a cold running tap, being careful not to break the skin. Leave the little tail on and about 5cm of the stalks intact so as not to allow the beets to bleed.

Place in a saucepan so that they fit snugly and cover them with boiling water. Add a pinch of salt. Cover, bring to the boil and simmer until the beets are cooked. The cooking time depends on the size and they can take anything from 20 minutes for tiny little beets to 2 hours for larger ones. They are cooked when the skin rubs off really easily. Don't use a knife to test if they are cooked as this will also cause bleeding.

While the beets are cooking, melt the butter and allow to foam. Add the onions, coat them in butter, cover tightly and sweat very gently until soft, tender and uncoloured.

When the beets are cooked, peel, chop coarsely and add to the onions. Add just enough chicken stock to cover and season with salt, pepper and a pinch of sugar. Bring to a boil and simmer for a minute.

Now purée to achieve a smooth and silky consistency. Allow to cool completely. Add yoghurt and a little cream to taste. Check seasoning, adding a little sugar if necessary. Serve chilled with a swirl of yoghurt and lots of chopped chives and a few chive flowers if available.

Baked plaice with broad-bean-and-leaf butter

This is a great technique for cooking a flat fish. The plaice can be replaced with other flat fish such as Dover sole, turbot, brill and lemon sole.

The broad-bean butter is simple and, if you can get some of the broad-bean leaves, they add a lovely silky consistency to the sauce. This is a beurre fondue and we add the cooked and podded broad beans and the leaves to this light butter sauce.

Keep this sauce up your sleeve for when you need to make a little sauce in a hurry. Asparagus and summer peas, or even a few really soft, green lettuce leaves, would be a very good alternative to the broad beans.

Serves 4

4 very fresh plaice, approx 350g
salt
fennel, dill, parsley or chervil, to garnish
broad-bean butter
115g butter
4 tbs shelled broad beans, cooked, and a handful of broad-bean leaves
dash of lemon juice
salt and pepper

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4. Turn each fish on its side and cut off the heads. Clean very well. Place the fish, orange-spotted side up, on a chopping board and cut through the skin just above where the fringe meets the flesh. Do this all the way around the fish.

Place the prepared fish on a shallow baking tin or roasting tray. Season the surface of the fish with salt. Add enough water to the tray to bring it to 5mm. Bake in the preheated oven for 15-30 minutes, depending on the size of the fish. To test if the fish is cooked, insert a knife into the thickest part of the flesh at the head end. The flesh should be white and firm with no trace of pink. If the water evaporates too quickly while the fish is cooking, just add a little more to the tray. Remove the fish to a serving plate and keep warm.

Place 4 tablespoons of the fish-cooking water from the baking tray in a small saucepan. Bring it to a boil and reduce to 2 tablespoons. Turn the heat down quite low and whisk in the cold butter a few lumps at a time. The sauce will start to thicken lightly. Whisk in all of the butter to achieve a light and silky butter sauce. Just before serving, add the cooked broad beans and allow to heat through. Finally add the leaves and allow to melt into the sauce. Taste and correct the seasoning, adding a little lemon juice if necessary.

Peel off the skin from the surface of the fish and sauce the fish lightly. Serve surplus sauce in a sauceboat. Garnish the dish with a sprig of fennel, dill, parsley or chervil.

Elderflower sorbet with strawberries and champagne

It's a revelation to some that this most common and generally inconspicuous of trees produces a flower that has an exquisite flavour. Anyone who has tasted muscat grapes will immediately recognise the heady scent and taste. This recipe is made much easier if you have an ice-cream machine but, if not, the mixture can be frozen in a shallow dish, removed from the freezer at intervals, bashed up and re-frozen.

Serves 4

2 handfuls of elderflowers, leaves removed
225g sugar
cold water
juice of 3 unwaxed lemons

Place the flowers, sugar and water in a saucepan and bring slowly to the boil. Simmer for 2 minutes. Allow to cool completely. Strain out the flowers which will now be collapsed and rather miserable-looking. Add the lemon juice and mix well. Freeze in an ice-cream machine until well frozen. Remove and place in a chilled bowl, smooth the surface, cover and put back in the freezer. Serve in chilled glasses or bowls with sliced strawberries and if you wish, a splash of chilled sparkling wine.

Blackberry and sweet - geranium compote

This very simple dish is great with all sorts of things, especially Ardsallagh goats' cheese, served on top of a few rocket leaves drizzled with honey. Or serve it with a shortbread biscuit and whipped cream. The sweet-geranium leaf is a genius tip from Myrtle Allen at Ballymaloe House.

Serves 4 as a pudding or 8 with cheese

225g blackberries, fresh or frozen
120g sugar
125ml water
4 sweet geranium leaves

Place the cold water, sugar and leaves in a small saucepan. Boil and simmer slowly for 2 minutes. Remove the leaves. Add the blackberries and simmer for a further 10 minutes until the syrup is a deep blackberry colour and a little reduced. Allow to cool but, when serving with goats' cheese, serve at room temperature.

A foodies guide to east Cork

Farmgate shop, restaurant and bakery, Coolbawn, Midleton

The shop sells organic fruit and vegetables, honey, home-made jam, cheeses and bread. The beautifully decorated farmhouse-like restaurant serves delicious Irish food. 00 353 (0) 21 463 2771

Mahon Point Farmers' Market

Outside the main entrance to the Mahon Point Shopping Centre: every Thursday, 10am - 2pm.

Midleton Farmers Market, Hospital Road, Midleton

Every Saturday 10am - 2pm: look for smoked fish, free-range pork, hand-made fudge, organic fruit, vegetables and herbs, bread and cakes, truffles, spices, fresh fish and shellfish.

Ballycotton Organics

Mixed leaves, seasonal vegetables, hot steak, BLT and chorizo sandwiches, home-made pickles, chutneys, jams, syrups and cordials. For sale at Mahon Point market. 00 353 (0) 86 168 5312

The Blackbird Pub, Main Street, Ballycotton

Fantastic pub - garden complete with crumbling ruins. Traditional music played most nights. However, it's for sale, so call to check before you go. 00 353 (0) 214 646 274

Green Saffron, Shanagarry

Fresh Indian spices, chutneys, curries, four-year-old basmati rice. greensaffron.com; 00 353 (0) 87 672 7188

Gubbeen Farmhouse Products

Famous Gubbeen cheese, variety of fresh, cured and smoked pork products including fantastic range of chorizo. Smokehouse: 00 353 (0) 28 27824; cheese: 00 353 (0) 28 28231; gubbeen.com

Ardsallagh Goat Farm, Carrigtwohill, Co Cork

Bottled goats' milk, yoghurt and cheese. Their honey-mustard goats' cheese won the gold medal at the British Cheese Awards 2005. 00 353 (0) 214 882336; ardsallaghgoats.com

English Market, Cork

The market dates back to 1788 and sells a huge variety of produce from wonderful parmesan and olive oils to tripe and drisheen. Incredible selection of very fresh fish. Open Monday to Saturday, 9am - 5.30pm. Entrances on Princes Street, Patrick Street and the Grand Parade.

· Rory O'Connell's bespoke cookery classes: rory@rgoconnell.com; 00 353 (0) 86 851 6917. Ballymaloe Cookery School, Shanagarry: cookingisfun.ie; info@cookingisfun.ie; 00 353 (0) 21 4646 785. Ballymaloe House is a country house hotel set in 400 acres with a heated swimming pool, tennis court and one of Ireland's best restaurants. ballymaloehouse.ie; email: res@ballymaloe.ie; 00 353 (0) 21 465 2531