Recently here at Albannach we have started cooking classes , mostly Tamaki & I teach the classes but occasionally we invite someone to come along and teach as well. Last Sunday  Tamaki taught 7 students how to make her famous apple pies, over the years Tamaki has cooked in both French & Italian restaurants here in Niigata city and for the last 3 years has studied traditional Celtic cooking and is now one of only 6 traditional pie makers in Japan. The Apple pie class taught the basics of making shortcrust pastry , the apple filling and baking. The students got to take a break and drank some herbal tea while the pastry was cooling down in the fridge and finally they enjoyed eating their hand made traditional pies , plus they got to take some home as well.  The Apple pie class was so popular we are holding another soon. Pictured below are some photos that I took of the class

1st Celtic session for 2016 - This Friday the 8th from 7pm - 12am , come along to listen to the best Celtic musicians in Niigata city . Beginners most welcome !. Fantastic live music and great food and craft beer !

​ On tap this week Black Isle Porter ABV 4.6%

Masses of dark roasted malt produces this dry full-bodied ruby black beer. This beer glides across the palate like a mythical monster on a frozen loch - a wonderful balance of bitterness with a light chocolate finish.

And we also have our regular tap of Aspall Suffolk Cyder ABV 5.5 % as well . a perfect refreshing drink that goes well with anything 

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Today , Tamaki & I took part in a beginners bookbinding class , we both made tartan covered notebooks. Our friend Kimura san is a bookbinder here in Niigata city and early next year we will hold a bookbinding class where you get to make a notebook . The boards are already cut so you just have to fit it together with the covering of your choice . Great way to spend 2 hours on a wet winters day !

On Sunday the 6th of Dec we closed Albannach for the entire day , which is quite rare and drove over the mountains to Yamagata City. The reason for this was we had bought tickets to see Dervish who are an Irish traditional music group from County Sligo, Ireland , They were formed in 1989 by Liam Kelly, Shane Mitchell, Martin McGinley, Brian McDonagh, and Michael Holmes and have been fronted by singer Cathy Jordan since 1991. The concert was in the old town hall located in the center of Yamagata city and lasted for about 2 hours , the historic building was perfect for such live music and we purchased a CD of their most popular songs plus a DVD of a previous concert.  After the show all the members of the band took a seat at a table and signed CDs for everyone and we got to have our photo taken with Cathy Jordan the lead singer and bodhan player. Pictured below are a few photos we took and a Youtube clip featuring the band. 

The next Celtic session at Albannach will be held on Dec Friday the 4th from 7pm - 12pm . If you have not already attended a session, you should come along  or join in if you like. It is a very informal session and beginners are most welcome. There is a wide variety of traditional instruments being played that you do not often hear so it is a great chance to learn about traditional Celtic music .