On Sunday (St. Patrick's Day) I shared a
giveaway and special promotion for Darina Allen's latest
cookbook, Simply
Delicious: The Classic Collection: 100 Timeless Tried & Tested
Recipes. Darina runs the world-renowned cooking
school at Ballymaloe in County Cork, Ireland. She
founded the school with her brother, Rory
O'Connell in 1983 and since then has authored many cookery books. Besides running
the school with her brother, her daughter-in-law, Rachel Allen,
also teaches there and lives nearby. The school maintains a
dedicated staff that number approximately 55 which insures that the
Allen dynasty will live on for generations.
In January of last year, I reviewed Darina's Grow, Cook, Nourish which details the history
of the Allen family which began with Myrtle Allen (be sure to
check the end of this post for information regarding a special
celebration of this matriarch's life coming up the first weekend in
April).
Recently, I had the pleasure of
speaking with Darina and her spirit and exuberance for Ireland,
food and cooking reached through the phone and captured my heart.
She clearly loves Ballymaloe and by the time we parted ways, I
was in love with this magical place. I shared on social media how
lovely it was to speak to Darina and was met with countless stories
of others' similar experiences with this special lady.
Ballymaloe Cookery School, founded in
1983, is a multi-award-winning establishment that provides a
first class culinary education to students from all over the world.
The Allens are proud of their long-standing tradition of excellence
and their Slow Food philosophy.
The school's prestigious 12-Week Certificate is internationally
recognised and has been the first step of the culinary journey of
many well-known chefs, food producers and food writers worldwide.
The culinary elite are not the only students that the school caters
to - anyone wishing to learn to cook, whether it be for a
short-term course, an afternoon workshop or a full three-month
program, are welcomed. Each year the school invites
distinguished guest chefs to participate in their
school curriculum.
My husband, whose mother's maiden name was O'Hara, was known for
saying "There are two types of people in the world, those who are
Irish and those who wish they were". Ireland is beautiful and
everyone claims Irish heritage on St. Patrick's Day but for years
it wasn't an accomplishment to state you were an Irish cook.
Decades ago, Irish cuisine had a reputation for being what I refer
to as the three B's - boiled, bland and boring (and one could throw
beige in there for good measure). Darina and I spoke about the
culinary transformation that has occurred since she first began
writing cookbooks thirty years ago. Not only has cuisine changed
worldwide, but particularly in Ireland where a remarkable
metamorphosis has taken place.
Today's Ireland is one filled with artisanal food producers,
Michelin starred restaurants, fishermen who are smoking fish to
deliciousness, and home to world class produce. Ireland is the
Emerald Isle surrounded by water which makes seafood abundant and
the lush grass provides nourishing pastures for the beef and lamb
raised there. We mustn't forget the legacy of Kerrygold butter,
Ireland's gift to bakers and butter lovers everywhere.
Ballymaloe Cookery
School is home to a 100-acre organic farm with a
greenhouse, 600 chickens that are fed the scraps from the morning's
breakfast, cows that provide the dairy to make butter and other
products, and countless varieties of produce. I asked Darina what
advice she would give to novice gardeners. Her advice is
profoundly simple: gather seeds, add light, water, and patience and
you will create magic. She suggests that working with our children
to sow seeds is something that can help them learn how things grow
but also appreciate vegetables. Taking back control of what we grow
and eat is why she feels that Grow, Cook, Nourish is her most important
book to date. It certainly is one of my most favorite
books.
Darina Allen has written 18 plus cookbooks as well as a
column at the Irish Examiner which she has managed to
do all in longhand. She has never taken to the computer and has
someone type up her work. She loves to write and has another
cookbook in the pipeline coming this September, One Pot
Feeds All. This new title will feature easy, nourishing meals
that can be whipped together with minimal mess and one pot.
Just as Darina inspires thousands of cooks worldwide, she finds
inspiration from chefs who create beautiful simple food such as Alice Waters and Maggi Beer. When
in New York, she enjoys the menu at Chez Ma
Tante in Brooklyn and Buvette (Jody Williams' cookbook is
fantastic).
Of course, we talked cookbooks. The cookbook library at the
school has several thousand cookbooks. A portion of their
collection has already been added to the Ballymaloe Cooking
School's bookshelf here at Eat Your Books.
Darina reminds us that the school operates all year and for
those visiting Ireland there are afternoon classes available for
tourists to pop in and try a few recipes, see a demo and have a
taste of their Ireland. Accommodations for the school are
convenient including the historic Ballymaloe House which is just two miles from
the cookery school. Ballymaloe House started a revolution in
Ireland in 1964 by then 40 year old housewife, Myrtle Allen. After
a remarkable life spanning 96 years, Myrtle passed away in June of
2018. A documentary available for viewing on the
website shares Myrtle's story.
A 2 1/2 day 'Tribute to Mrs. Allen', cooking course at the
Ballymaloe Cookery School from April 1st to the 3rd is
planned. It will include dinner at Ballymaloe House and a
talk by food historian, Regina Sexton on the impact Myrtle had on
the Irish Food Scene and on the image of Irish Food worldwide. More
information can be found on the website.
Recently, Darina was on NPR and I wanted to be sure our members
checked out that piece. Special thanks to Darina for her time and
generosity.
Photos above were taken from the Ballymaloe website. Darina's
photo with her hands covered in the rich soil of Ballymalore
reflects clearly her love for food sustainability and Ireland.