Ballymaloe Festival of Food 2025 sponsored by Kerrygold, final additions to lineup announced

press release

Ballymaloe Festival of Food 2025 sponsored by Kerrygold, 

final additions to the lineup announced

The year appears to be picking up speed now that the sun is out, and before you know it, it’ll be time for the second Ballymaloe Festival of Food sponsored by Kerrygold, running from Friday 16th May to Sunday 18th May, set against the backdrop of iconic Ballymaloe House and its unique complex of The Grainstore, The Big Shed, and the magical grounds and gardens. The final round of exceptional speakers and participants has just been announced, and added to the already superb lineup are Tim Hayward, Tom Parker-Bowles, George Lamb and Romy Gill MBE, among others.

Award-winning food journalist and broadcaster, and the author of Food DIY (2013), Knife (2016), The Modern Kitchen (2017) and Loaf Story (2020), Tim Hayward is also coming to the Ballymaloe Festival of Food sponsored by Kerrygold. Previously restaurant reviewer and now roaming food writer-at-large for the Financial Times, Tim is a regular panellist on BBC Radio 4’s The Kitchen Cabinet, and has written and presented documentary series on Radio 4 on subjects ranging from modern craftspeople to bacteria. Tim will be on The Butter Club Stage discussing one of his kitchen loves — a good knife — with master craftsman and knife maker, Fingal Ferguson.

Tom Parker Bowles has been an award-winning food writer for over 20 years and is the author of a number of books on food (including the bestselling Fortnum & Mason cookbooks). Restaurant critic for The Mail on Sunday and a contributing editor for Esquire, Country Life, and Condé Nast Traveller, plus a regular judge on BBC’s Masterchef, Tom is the son of Queen Camilla, and will be discussing his most recent book, Cooking and the Crown: Royal Recipes from Queen Victoria to King Charles III on Saturday morning at Ballymaloe Festival of Food sponsored by Kerrygold, as well as doing a cooking demo on Sunday in The Grainstore.

Romy Gill MBE brings her vibrant and delicious approach to Indian food to a demo in The Grainstore on Saturday morning, a chance to see one of the UK’s most popular and acclaimed proponents of Indian cuisine in action. Familiar from her many TV and radio appearances, and as an accomplished food and travel writer in a host of publications, Romy’s signature blend of flavour and storytelling will be front and centre on Saturday morning. 

Co-founder of Wildfarmed and GROW, George Lamb spent the first half of his professional career working in the entertainment industry, but following a revelatory breakthrough in 2012, has been figuring out how best to use his influence to make a positive and meaningful impact on society. He founded GROW in 2018, a life skills education programme that works in schools and communities to promote mental wellbeing, physical health and a more hands-on relationship with nature. And then in 2019, he co-founded Wildfarmed, a regenerative food and farming business that is connecting farmers, food businesses and consumers to quality food grown in nature-rich landscapes, in a bid to accelerate the world’s transition to regenerative agriculture. George will be talking all things natural on in the Change We Must Stage on Sunday.

With so much to see and savour, Ballymaloe Festival of Food 2025 sponsored by Kerrygold, is once again packed with cooking demonstrations, pop-up dinners from some of the incredible talent including Jeremy Lee and Fadi Kattan, guided walks, talks, workshops to put your knowledge into practice, tastings and conversations, and all showcasing the very best in modern Irish and international food. 

Ballymaloe Festival of Food is proudly supported by Kerrygold, TikTok, Local Enterprise Office, Cork County Council, Fáilte Ireland, Bord Bia, Pure Cork, Ballymaloe Foods and Cully and Sully with the Scoop and Yarn stage sponsored by Square.

Weekend ticket prices:

• Weekend tickets (all three days): €65 per person

• Individual day tickets: €25 per person

• Evening-only tickets (on Saturday): €12

For more information and to purchase tickets, visit www.ballymaloegrainstore.com.

For full festival lineup see https://www.ballymaloegrainstore.com/ballymaloe-festival-of-food

Foradori Tasting at Ballymaloe. Superb organic wines from native Italian grapes

Foradori Tasting at Ballymaloe

Superb organic wines from native Italian grapes.

Holiday weekend or not, you can always bank on Ballymaloe for an excellent tasting. That is exactly what we experienced in a packed upstairs at the Grainstore when Theo Zierock came to East Cork bearing no less than seven amazing organic Foradori wines from the family’s Trentino-Alto Ridge vineyard.

The magnificent Dolomites look down on their vineyard. “We make wines that speak of the mountains and the valleys. We don’t make wine like they make in Bordeaux.” Not that he was doing down the wines of Bordeaux or indeed those of any other region. He was simply saying that each area, each terroir, has a wine story of its own to tell.

Ballymaloe House celebrates 60th anniversary with inaugural Ballymaloe Festival of Food, May 2024

press release

Inaugural Ballymaloe Festival of Food May 24. 

Will celebrate 60th anniversary of Ballymaloe House

Ballymaloe Festival of Food is a new three-day food festival that this year celebrates 60 years of Ballymaloe — six decades of good food and fine hospitality, renowned in Ireland and beyond — while also showcasing all that the Irish food and drinks community has to offer today. 

At Ballymaloe from Friday May 17th to Sunday May 19th this year, the inaugural Ballymaloe Festival of Food will be three days jam-packed with cooking demos, pop-up dinners, talks, walks, producers’, craft exhibitors and activities celebrating the journey of good food from the soil and sea to your plate. With wine tastings and cocktail making, all day dining opportunities featuring the best local and international talent, this weekend focuses too on everything that is great and innovative about modern Irish food, from apiarists, oyster farmers and cheesemakers to local whiskey distillers, artisan bakers and award-winning jam makers, with chefs from around Ireland and the UK joining for a fantastic weekend of exploration and pleasure.

Among the instigators of the Irish farm to fork movement, Myrtle Allen and her husband Ivan opened The Yeats Room at Ballymaloe back in 1964, initially advertising in the Cork Examiner saying “Come dine in a country house”, becoming one of the first country homes of its kind in Ireland to open their doors to guests. 

Based in and around that original family country house, and the unique complex of outbuildings including The Grainstore, Big Shed and magical grounds and gardens, Ballymaloe Festival of Food is another invitation to guests, this time to an event with a clear message — one of sustainability, and a return to the roots of that original farm to table movement so important to Mr. and Mrs. Allen — with interesting and engaging talks from some key experts, producers and advocates telling the crucially important story of sustainable local food.

With an exciting lineup of Irish and international chefs confirmed, the full programme will be available to download on the website on Friday March 22nd, with the Woodshed Restaurant pop-ups including Lee Tiernan of London’s Black Axe Mangal and Nico Reynolds of Lil’ Portie, and guests on both the cooking demonstration stages including Matt Tebbutt, host of Saturday Kitchen, Aishling Moore of Goldie, Marco Pierre White, Lily Ramirez-Foran of Picado Mexican, Clodagh McKenna, Georgina Hayden  and many more. Speakers on the Big Shed Ballymaloe Festival of Food Stage, with a theme of Change We Must!, will be hosted by Karen O’Donoghue from Grow, Cook, Eat, and include Barrie Quinn of Portnoo Market Garden, Karen O’Donoghue of Happy Tummy Co., Sarah de Brun of Oysome and Chris Fahey of Wildflour, among others. All the details here!

The Ballymaloe Festival of Food with the help of Local Enterprise Office supports small producers by putting them in front of both food lovers and industry professionals, and invited chefs are encouraged to use local, seasonal produce in their cooking demos from some of those producers and exhibitors showing their produce over the weekend. An enjoyable, engaging and, most of all, delicious few days in the heartland of Ireland’s farm to table movement, there will be live music too, and there will definitely be dancing…

Weekend tickets for all three days are €65 per person, individual day tickets on Friday are €20, with Saturday and Sunday tickets for €25 per person, including both Demo stages, Drinks Theatre, Walks and Talks, Food Producers area, and more. Evening-only tickets on Friday or Saturday evening are €12, and the Woodshed lunches and dinners by guest chefs are €75 and €85 per person respectively. Children under 12 go free.

Ballymaloe Festival of Food is proudly sponsored by Local Enterprise Office, Cork County Council, Failte Ireland, Bord Bia and Cully and Sully. 

See www.ballymaloegrainstore.com for more.

Taste of the Week. Homemade Rosewater Marshmallows by Ballymaloe Cookery School

Taste of the Week

Homemade Rosewater Marshmallows 

by Ballymaloe Cookery School

Got to visit Midleton Farmers Market last Saturday morning to do a little shopping there and in the town. And it was at the Ballymaloe Cookery School stand that I found my taste of the week, these absolutely delicious Rosewater Marshmallows. The delicate flavour, well-known to fans of Hadji Beys Turkish Delight, is irresistible and makes for a gorgeous treat!

Rosewater is used to flavour many foods, including drinks, around the world, especially in Asian countries. Did you know that 90% of it comes from Iran where they hold a major Rosewater festival every spring? It is a by-product of the production of rose oil for use in perfume. 

So, it is used to enhance aromas and flavours.  Look out for this excellent example at Midleton Farmers Market every Saturday where it is well priced at four euro. 

Everyone’s a winner at the Curry Night for Hope in The Grainstore

 Everyone’s a winner at the Curry Night for Hope in The Grainstore

All ready! The calm before the curry.

A couple of weeks back, I spotted a notice on social media about a Curry Night in the Grainstore at Ballymaloe. This could be different, I thought, and read on. A couple of things confirmed my first thoughts and hooked me in. One was that it was a fundraiser for Hope and the other was that Green Saffron’s Arun Kapil, the spice expert, was involved in the curry. Hard to resist the combination of a good cause and a good curry. Win win, I said, and booked my tickets.

Mol an oige! While she didn’t quite use that phrase, Hope’s Honorary Director Maureen Forrest (who set up the organisation in 1999), used it as a theme and praised the many young people who have helped Hope over the years. 

Hot in the kitchen. Arun's selfie
with Aoibheann and Liam in background.

Two of the current students, Aoibheann and Liam, had led this Curry Night Fundraiser and, with help, especially from Arun and Olive, put on quite an evening including cocktails and mocktails, the curry, dessert and lots of raffles sponsored by local businesses such as Frank Hederman, Cully & Sully, Green Saffron, Supervalu, Sage,  and others including Ballymaloe itself. I didn’t win any of the prizes but I still consider myself a winner such was the feel good factor.

Just to give you a taste after the event, here’s the menu:

Jolly Jaipur Cocktail or Mocktail with Smoked Salmon (marinated in Panch Phoran, Lime Juice and soft herbs) and Gol Gappas (chickpea, potato and tomato chaat). This was served upstairs, quite a “noisy” upstairs as the 100 plus diners gathered.

Curry, Dahl and Naan

Soon we all trooped downstairs, quite eagerly, to our tables. Orderly queues were organised as the main dish was served buffet style. And that was Chicken Korma, Red Lentil Dahl, Roast Cauliflower and potatoes in spices with rice, Raita and the best ever Naan! An excellent plateful.

Raffles were held during the interval and we finished with dessert at the table, another lovely dish of Mango Kulfi (ice-cream!), Garam Palmiers with rose and pistachio sprinkles. 

Students Liam and Aoibheann, well supported here by a generous East Cork community (acknowledged by Maureen Forrest) have been given the opportunity to raise funds for the Hope Foundation and travel to Kolkata, India, to visit the homes and hospital that Hope have set up in order to protect and educate children in poverty.

Since 2003, HOPE have been working with schools across Ireland through Development Education. “Engaging with students is one of the best ways to raise awareness of the work we do with street and slum children in Kolkata. Development Education is driven by the strong belief of ‘students helping students’, whereby learning and understanding the reality of poverty inspires young people to take action for change. We consider all students from primary, secondary and third levels who are involved with our work to be Ambassadors for HOPE; reaching out to young people far less fortunate and taking real steps to a better, more fair world.”

For more info contact HOPE’s Schools Coordinator – schools@hopefoundation.ie.

Summertime at the big house. Sculpture on the lawn. Lunch in the conservatory.

 Summertime at the big house. Sculpture on the lawn. 

Lunch in the conservatory. Ballymaloe House

Side view of James Joyce by John Coll

I always enjoy my visit to the annual Richard Scott Sculpture Gallery Ballymaloe exhibition. So popular ha sit become that it now has made a permanent home on the lawn in front of the big house with a field of barley growing alongside. While you may not walk on the barley, the exhibition organisers have created a 600 meter grass pathway weaving through the long grass alongside the mown sculpture area.

After all that strolling and walking, we thought we deserved our light lunch in the Ballymaloe Conservatory. As always, much of what you get here is their own produce with some also provided by local producers. We enjoyed, in some comfort, the Caherbeg Bacon Sandwich and also the House Paté with side salad and superb toast, all washed down with a glass of their Apple Juice and a bottle of non-alcoholic Stonewell Cider.

Head-on view of James Joyce by John Coll. Best in show?

There are over forty pieces (created by 23 Irish artists) in the current exhibition; it runs until 31st August and is open from 9.00am to 9.00pm each day. And if you come on a Thursday in June and July at 6.00pm, you may take a guided tour which is relaxed and informative. No booking required.

A field of sculpture

House Paté

Sunny Day by Eileen Singleton

Eileen Singleton has a trio of these pieces in the show and I liked all three though this is perhaps my favourite!

Free range Caherbeg Bacon

Sea Eagle by Ester Barrett

Animals always feature here and this sea eagle in bronze is a splendid example.  Another Barrett piece, titled Emerging, is possible even more striking but I didn't get a decent photo. Others to look out for include Adan Pomeroy's Raven and the mini-pieces by 8ight called Scorpion, Bull, Dragonfly and especially (for me) Butterfly.

The Tall Green Hare by Seamus Connolly

This is probably the most eye-catching of the hares in the show. Donnacha Cahill also has a couple (one big, one small) while Peter Killeen has two smooth customers in bronze.

Sir Dan by Aidan Harte

Don't think I'd fancy meeting Sir Dan in a ring or down a dark alley. It is in bronze. Below we have a smoother piece in Kilkenny Limestone. I reckon The Pugilist may at least abide by the Marquis of Queensbury Rules while Dan would be more the Mixer Martial Arts type.

Pugilist by Jason Ellis. Jason's Supplicant also impresses.

Hedgehogs by Richard Healy

This small scale bronze could well be one of the most popular pieces in the exhibition, makes everybody smile. I like it of course though my overall favourite is the James Joyce, the one that makes you frown!

More the exhibition here.

Very Enjoyable Outing To Grainstore's Ballymaloe May Fair

 Very Enjoyable Outing To Grainstore's Ballymaloe May Fair

Very much enjoyed my few hours at the May Fair organised by the Grainstore at Ballymaloe at the weekend. The first person I met was none other than Colm McCan who is delighted that the Pop-up Wine Shop is to open every afternoon (2.00 - 5.00pm) for the year ahead. I got a sneak peek inside and that pour illustration above may bring back memories to a few of you of great days and evenings at the Ballymaloe Pop-up Wine Shop in Brown Thomas. Colm has wine from a selection of suppliers in Ballymaloe. Not just wine though: Ballymaloe Cider and their House Gin are also available here in bottle.

Quite a few stalls in the Grainstore itself, including jewelry, clothing and more. It was here that I bought some beautifully crafted soaps from Clarkes of Dublin.              

We were also on the lookout for Massaman curry paste at the Malay Kitchen Stall and we found the two ladies from the Malay Kitchen in the Big Shed. Had a lovely chat, plus a little tasting, and came away with a kit that included the Massaman.

On the way in, we had bought a superb sourdough from the Grumpy Bakers and on the way out we got a few of their very tempting pastries. All these were destined for the home table but the beautiful treat from Yum Gelato, especially the Mango, was consumed on a nearby table in the sun. Yum! 

In between, we had another delicious tasting, this of the Cully & Sully Risotto range, very impressive indeed. Couldn't wait when we got home and, for supper, enjoyed their Tempting Tomato and that will feature as Taste of the Week very soon!

Our "main course" was just around the corner, at one of the many outdoor stalls serving hot food. Gidi's menu featured a traditional Yemenite and Moroccan family recipe with the traditional Cork title of "The Whole Shebang." 

The finest Kinsale beef and lamb, spiced and barbequed, along with a salad of green leaves, tomatoes and basil dressed with mint, yogurt and zhoug, all packed into a pitta, with a hint of chilli. Delicious, quite a dish for a tenner, and went down well with a glass of juicy ale from the nearby Wicklow Wolf Brewery stand.

More drinks stalls in the area included Blackwater Distillery (Peter Mulryan told me they have settled well into their new distillery and are planning on doing tours fairly soon). Denis from Kinsale Mead was enjoying a deadly Charcoal mint stracciatella from Yum Gelato while Valentia Vermouth were quite busy at the time.

Denis, and the early afternoon sun, had put me in the humour for a gelato and we were heading that way when I spotted Beardy Dave at the Dingle Gin and Porterhouse stall. He had a quartet of cans on offer for a tenner and they too went into the bag. In fact there was no room in the bags but Dave had a Porterhouse tote on hand!

So, after that final call to Yum and the Grumpy Baker, we were on our way, looking forward to getting through all the food and drink in the bags.

ANOTHER LOVE STORY PRESENTS: LOVE IS A STRANGER BALLYMALOE

 ANOTHER LOVE STORY PRESENTS:

LOVE IS A STRANGER BALLYMALOE

 

Line-up: Conor O’Brien (Villagers), Peter Broderick, Anna Mieke, Junior Brother, Clare Sands + many more

 

THE GRAINSTORE, BALLYMALOE, CO. CORK

2PM – MIDNIGHT, SATURDAY 19TH MARCH 2022.

 

https://www.anotherlovestory.ie/lias-ballymaloe/

 

 

The team behind Another Love Story (ALS) are delighted to announce a day of music, food, and atmosphere in the wonderful surroundings of the restored 17th century barn complex, The Grainstore, Ballymaloe, Co. Cork, on Saturday March 19th as part of their continuing series of day events Love Is a Stranger.

 

Love Is a Stranger Ballymaloe presents a carefully chosen collection of friends old and new across two rooms throughout the day. Bus:  We are providing return busses from Cork City (€10) & Midleton (€5).

Resident Ballymaloe caterer Wildside Catering will be dishing up delicious street food from their stall, with The Ballymaloe Cafe & Giftshop also open throughout, and a full bar provided for the event.

You'll find all the details on the event (2.00pm - midnight) here.

Press release.

Sunday Lunch at Ballymaloe House is one to experience time and again

Sunday Lunch at Ballymaloe House is one to experience time and again. 

Sweet Spots!

Amuse

“This is not cheap food, it is food that has been loved and cared for by knowledgeable producers.  We think that it is Ireland's best.” Myrtle Allen. 

Sunday’s lunch in Ballymaloe House showed how well loved the local food produce is by the kitchen staff and by us, the customers. The food on the plate speaks for itself. It is indeed all on plates (no flowerpots), no nitro show, no foams, no coloured dots.

Beetroot starter

Still, the food here is very well presented. It looks appetising. And it is. That is soon confirmed. The experience - and even without the dots, the flowerpots, the nitro and the foams - this is quite the experience, aided in no small way by the culture of calm courtesy and quiet efficiency of the reception and serving staff.

So we are seated in one of the high-ceilinged rooms, not the only such room in use on the day. We have ordered. Soon, our server is back with an offering of delicious cheese croquettes (not mentioned on the menu!) which we enjoy while we wait for our starters.

Fritto Misto

And that’s when it began to get serious, seriously enjoyable. For this is a comfortable experience (not just the chair) - you won’t be left wondering what you have on your plate, nothing is deconstructed here.

My starter is Sesame Crusted Fritto Misto di Mare with Roast Garlic Aioli and Parsley oil while CL has the Ruby Beetroot Fritters with Preserved Lemon Salsa and Farm Yogurt. 

Cod

The fish (soft and white) on my plate are squid and ray wing, the aioli and oil a key part of a deftly crusted dish that you don’t come across everyday, really really excellent. And as is often the case it is the little things on the plate that can make the difference, that Salsa and Yogurt lifting the local beetroot to a different level.

Lamb

Other starters available included Cannellini Bean & Chorizo Broth; Spinach Gnocchi with Roast Cherry Tomatoes; and Pâté Maison.

Virtually everything is local here, much of it ultra-local as it comes from their own walled garden and farm. 

Dessert!

They don’t have their own wine but they are trying! There is a quite a list presented to us and we pick the delicious Picpoul de Pinet, Château Petit Roubié,  one of the house whites, at €8.50 a glass or €30.00 a bottle, and one that we know and love from the Mary Pawle portfolio.While this list is quite large, there is also the fuller list, one that you may need to start studying before you travel! 

I did notice quite a few local drinks on the house drinks list, including their own gin, beers from the Cotton Ball and Blacks of Kinsale. As the designated driver, I was very happy to see the Stonewell Non Alcoholic available (€5.00 a bottle), one of the best of its type in the country and one that I enjoyed again.

Time now for the main event and soon CL was tucking into the Pan-seared Ballycotton Cod and Scallop with Bretonne Sauce and Braised Florence Fennel. A superb piece of well cooked fish, well teamed with the fennel and the Bretonne. Perfection on the plate.

I was every bit as pleased with the Roast East Cork Leg of Lamb with salsa verde and crushed Swede Turnips. Another highlight, again not mentioned on the menu, was the redcurrant jelly (that came in the most attractive spouted mini serving boat) and the jelly made the already toothsome lamb even more so. Our main courses were served with Scallion champ along with seasonal Roast Carrots and Parsnips.

Other choices on the day were Clancy’s free-range chicken with Tarragon stuffing, Kilmacahill Beef Cheeks Braised with shallots and Marsala jus, and Gently spiced aubergine, St Tola Cheese. 

Ballymaloe in January 2022

Over the decades, Ballymaloe has become loved for its ultra tempting Sweet Trolley, a tradition within the tradition of the house hospitality. Between us, we came close to getting a little bit of everything including individual Blackberry and Apple tarts, Raspberry Compote (perhaps my favourite), a power-packed Tiramisu, and other melt-in-the-mouth treats.

And still we weren’t finished. Ballymaloe Fudge, more melt-in-the-mouth, was served with Golden Bean Coffee (roasted just across the road that runs between the old house and Grainstore). Tea lovers had the pick of Herb Tea or Barry’s Tea.

A little “ramble”, past a few busy dining rooms, took us to the desk to pay up and, as is often the case here, another friendly chat. Never a rush in Ballymaloe House. After all, you are made to feel “at home” in this comfortable place with its engaging staff and magnificent food.