It’s a few years ago now since a chap called Paddy Daly from Dublin arrived to do a one week Introductory Course at the Cookery School. When he arrived into the car park in his camper van it took him all the courage he could muster to actually walk into the school. Paddy, a man [...]

Local is now the sexiest word in food from California to Stuttgart, Matakana to Macroom. Attitudes have come a wonderful full circle from when I was a child growing up in a country village in Ireland. At that stage in the late fifties and early sixties, local was looked on as second rate. A few [...]

A few months ago we had a wonderful letter from Italian cook Marcella Hazan who had been guest chef at the Ballymaloe Cookery School in July 1992. She and her husband Victor spent five or six days with us and among other things we took them to dinner at John and Elmary Desmond’s restaurant on [...]

Last week brought an unexpected announcement, Euro-toque Cavan Crystal Awards honoured my “outstanding contribution to the Irish Culinary Sector”. The citation read – “Darina Allen’s award was given in recognition of her exceptional work in providing an outstanding level of culinary education at Ballymaloe Cookery School, for her involvement in the Slowfood movement and her [...]