The Great Irish Bake Off begins

I AM frantically whisking my sabayon (egg yolks, sugar, wine) over a hot bain marie but it absolutely refuses to thicken. “Come on, guys, you need to finish this now!” barks Ann!. Sebastian, my cooking partner, isn’t happy. “Did you prick the bottom of the tarts before putting them in the oven?” I have easily baked a thousand tarts in my life up to that point. It’s straightforward, I know the drill. I flush. “Christ, I forgot!” Ann comes over to investigate. “My sabayon won’t thicken,” I wail. “That’s because the pot isn’t properly over the induction ring,” says Ann.

I’d never seen an induction hob before today but I already hate it. Induction is for Moonies, give me gas. My stomach churns, panic rising. Just an hour in and I’m already looking for the exit.

Last September, after a gap of nearly three decades, I returned to education to do the BA in Culinary Arts & at CIT, a course designed for senior chefs. My daily working life revolves around food and I have close to a decade of professional cooking experience but despite learning much under some excellent chefs, I’d never received any formal training. I was keen to fill in the gaps.