IrelandRetreat24_IMG_8669_HappyBaker1 - Bake from Scratch

Ireland Baking Retreat 2024

September 10–18, 2024

Single: $9,250 (1 baker/1 hotel room)

Double: $8,250 each (2 bakers in 1 shared hotel room)

Baking participant plus non-baking guest: $11,250 (1 baker/1 non-baking guest/1 hotel room)

From the charming cobblestone streets of Dublin to the verdant countryside amidst stone walls and sheep grazing along hillsides, this luxury eight-night retreat will highlight traditional Irish baking and celebrate the country’s best contemporary bakers and bakeries, all while enjoying the lavish hospitality of Ireland at every stop. With classes at Howth Castle Cookery School, Bread 41, Firehouse Cookery School, and Ballymaloe Cookery School, you’ll bake Irish soda bread, scones, cakes, biscuits, and more.

Each registered baking attendee will receive a one-year subscription to Bake from Scratch. If you’re already a subscriber, you have the option of extending your subscription or gifting it to someone who loves baking.

Single

What’s Included

8 nights in a luxury hotel
4 hands-on baking and cooking classes
2 culinary experiences (in Dublin and at Powerscourt)
Welcome afternoon tea, breakfast daily, some lunches, group dinner at Ballymaloe House
Private transfers to/from scheduled retreat activities
One-year subscription to Bake from Scratch
Gift bag with some of our favorite baking items

What’s Not Included

Airfare/travel to/from Dublin
Airport transfers
Some meals

Double

What’s Included

8 nights in a luxury hotel
4 hands-on baking and cooking classes
2 culinary experiences (in Dublin and at Powerscourt)
Welcome afternoon tea, breakfast daily, some lunches, group dinner at Ballymaloe House
Private transfers to/from scheduled retreat activities
One-year subscription to Bake from Scratch
Gift bag with some of our favorite baking items

What’s Not Included

Airfare/travel to/from Dublin
Airport transfers
Some meals

Baking Participant Plus Non-Baking Guest

What’s Included

8 nights in a luxury hotel
2 culinary experiences (in Dublin and at Powerscourt)
Welcome afternoon tea, breakfast daily, group dinner at Ballymaloe House
Private transfers to/from scheduled retreat activities

What’s Not Included

Airfare/travel to/from Dublin
Airport transfers
Baking classes
Some meals
One-year subscription to Bake from Scratch
Gift bag with some of our favorite baking items

Please note all 16 spots of this baking retreat must be filled by May 1, 2024, for the retreat to take place. Don’t wait! Register today.

Have a question about this baking retreat? Contact us.

JOIN OUR WAITLIST

If you’d like to join our waitlist, please email events@bakefromscratch.com

In case of a vacancy, we will reach out to interested parties in the order of emails received.

Please include first and last name, address, phone number, and your destination of interest in your email.

Itinerary

Tuesday, September 10

Arrive in Dublin and get settled into The Merrion, a luxury five-star hotel in the heart of the city’s center. In the afternoon, we’ll gather for the hotel’s famed Afternoon Art Tea, the most lavish in the city, where the pastries are inspired by the hotel’s fine art collection. Enjoy the evening to rest and relax.

Wednesday, September 11

For our first full day in Dublin, we’ll split into two groups of 8 bakers for the day’s activities. One group will take a short train ride to Howth Castle Cookery School outside the city, where Shane Smith, award-winning Irish pastry chef and online baking instructor, will lead a day of afternoon tea baking in the castle’s original 18th century Georgian kitchen. The other group will head to one of Dublin’s best bakeries, Bread 41, for a baking demonstration and tasting. Enjoy the afternoon and evening on your own in Dublin.

Thursday, September 12

The groups will switch to do the activity they didn’t participate in the day before. The afternoon and evening will be on your own to explore Dublin.

Friday, September 13

We’ll have an early morning departure in a private coach to Powerscourt Hotel Resort & Spa in County Wicklow, which is about an hour from Dublin. While one group of 8 bakers gets settled into the hotel and heads to a whiskey tasting and garden tour at Powerscourt Estate, the other group will have a tour of Firehouse Bakery and hands-on bread baking class and lunch at Firehouse Cookery School. Learn to make Country Sourdough using the Firehouse sourdough starter; yeasted dough using fresh yeast that can be used in recipes like Focaccia and Honey and Oat Spelt Bread; and modernized Soda Bread with delicious mix-in ingredients. Enjoy the afternoon and evening at Powerscourt.

Saturday, September 14

The groups will switch to do the activity they didn’t participate in the day before. The afternoon and evening will be on your own to enjoy Powerscourt.

Sunday, September 15

We’ll travel by private coach to the picturesque Ballymaloe House in County Cork, which is about a three and a half hour drive. Get settled into your room, take a walk, and cozy up by the fireplace. In the evening, we will have a fabulous dinner at Ballymaloe House with members of the Allen family, owners of Ballymaloe Cookery School.

Monday, September 16

We’ll have an optional morning trip into Cork for a visit to the English Market, which dates back to 1788. In the early afternoon, we’ll head back to Ballymaloe House for a quick refresh before an afternoon of baking at the world-renowned Ballymaloe Cookery School. After a cup of tea, we’ll take a tour of the farm and gardens before getting into the kitchen. We’ll prepare a three-course meal, and, of course, bread, before we enjoy an early dinner. Enjoy the evening on your own at Ballymaloe House.

Tuesday, September 17

Enjoy the morning on your own at Ballymaloe House. In the afternoon we’ll head back to Ballymaloe Cookery School to bake scones, biscuits, and cake for a delightful afternoon tea. Enjoy the evening on your own at Ballymaloe House.

Wednesday, September 18

We’ll depart early in the morning for Dublin. Upon arrival in Dublin, you will be dropped off at the Merrion Hotel, where the retreat will end. You are responsible for getting yourself to the airport or your next destination. If you would like to book an extra night at the Merrion hotel for your arrival back in Dublin, please email events@bakefromscratch.com.

Details

Accommodations

In Dublin, we’ll stay at The Merrion, with a spa and several dining options including Restaurant Patrick Guilbaud, which was the first restaurant in Dublin to hold two Michelin stars. At Powerscourt Hotel Resort & Spa in County Wicklow, you’ll enjoy luxurious rooms, impressive grounds, several dining options, a spa, and views of the Wicklow Mountains. In County Cork, the charming Ballymaloe House will let you experience the best of the Irish countryside. The Ballymaloe House restaurant is a renowned dining destination with a dessert trolley you won’t soon forget.

Travel to Dublin

Guests are responsible for getting themselves to Dublin and to the Merrion Hotel on Tuesday, September 10, when the retreat commences with afternoon tea. Guests will be responsible for getting themselves from the Merrion Hotel to the airport or next destination on Wednesday, September 18.

For those of you traveling on to France for our retreat in Nice and Aix-en-Provence, we will recommend the best flights to you, but you are responsible for booking additional hotel nights, air travel, and airport transfers.

The Bake from Scratch team is at your disposal to help you navigate travel. Email events@bakefromscratch.com for assistance.

Booking

Half of the retreat cost (50%) is due within 48 hours along with a signed travel waiver and cancellation policy acknowledgment to secure your reservation. The second half of the retreat cost (50%) is due March 1, 2024. We accept payment by American Express, Visa, Mastercard, PayPal, and Amazon Pay. Trip prices are in US dollars.

Costs

The price of the trip includes all hotel accommodations, all baking classes, some meals, some activities, and transfers to/from scheduled retreat activities. Single-occupancy, double-occupancy, and baking participant plus non-baking guest rates are available.

Your credit card will be charged by Hoffman Media, the parent company of Bake from Scratch.

Cancellation

Since the trip is nonrefundable, we suggest buying trip insurance.

If you don’t purchase travel insurance, you agree to indemnify us against any charges that might otherwise be covered by your insurance. You further agree that we are not responsible for any costs of cancellation or costs related to travel interruptions or COVID-19. Due to COVID-19, there may be limitations relating to activities. Certain services and amenities may be reduced or unavailable as a result of changing circumstances. Please know that we are working closely with our partners to plan and execute a safe baking retreat for our guests, but there is an inherent risk of exposure to COVID-19 when traveling. By booking this baking retreat, you acknowledge and assume these risks associated with travel.

We reserve the right to cancel this retreat if fewer than 16 participants have signed up by May 1, 2024. We will send an email confirmation to all participants when this number has been met. If Bake from Scratch initiates the cancellation, we will refund all payments.

Have a question about this baking retreat? Email events@bakefromscratch.com.

Frequently Asked Questions

What airport do I fly into to begin the retreat in Dublin?

Dublin Airport (DUB) is accessible from the US with daily flights and located just outside the city center.

Can I extend my stay at the hotel?

If you’d like to inquire about additional nights, please email events@bakefromscratch.com. Some guests prefer to book a room for the night before their arrival so it is ready after all-night flights from the US.

Can I upgrade to a suite?

Upgrades are available based on availability. Email us events@bakefromscratch.com for more information.

Is breakfast included?

Daily breakfast is included at the hotel.

Are children able to attend this retreat?

All participants must be 18 years old or older to attend this baking retreat.

What should I plan to wear during baking classes?

For baking classes, activities, and travel, the dress is smart casual. Tennis shoes are recommended for standing in baking classes and walking on cobblestone streets. In Ireland and around Europe, athletic wear is not frequently worn.

Are the baking classes hands-on?

Yes, all baking classes are hands-on.

If I book a double-occupancy package, will the hotel room have two beds?

Due to the uniqueness and European charm of the hotels, double-occupancy rooms do not have two beds. If you are traveling with a friend or adult child, you can request two sets of linens on one bed.

Is this retreat better-suited for professionals or home bakers?

Our retreats are geared for passionate home bakers, but professionals are always welcome. Whether you’re a beginning baker or someone who’s been baking for years, our baking classes and culinary experiences offer immersion into local baking cultures so there’s always something everyone can learn.

What will we be baking?

We’ll master Irish soda bread, scones, sourdough bread, afternoon tea recipes, and other sweet and savory Irish classics.

Will we have any free time?

You will have some free time in all locations to explore the areas on your own. We will equip you with our list of our favorite bakeries, restaurants, and activities.

I want to bring my travel companion, but they don’t want to participate in the baking classes. What can they do?

We offer a baking participant plus non-baking guest package for this very reason! This package allows you to bake and participate in all retreat activities while your travel companion explores on their own. As a part of this package, hotel accommodations, daily breakfast, welcome afternoon tea, group dinner at Ballymaloe House, two culinary experiences, and transportation between destinations is included for your non-baking companion.

To reserve your space, email events@bakefromscratch.com. You will be required to pay your deposit within 48 hours and sign a travel waiver and acknowledgement of cancellation policy via DocuSign. Reservations will be taken in the order in which we receive emails.