Star Chefs · Ireland
Darina Allen The founder of Ballymaloe Cookery School and Ireland's best-known cooking teacher.
Founder of Ballymaloe Cookery School in 1983, nine series of Simply Delicious, award-winning books such as Forgotten Skills and 30 Years at Ballymaloe, IACP Cooking Teacher of the Year and a founding figure of Ireland's farmers' markets.
Darina Allen studied hotel management in Dublin and then went to Ballymaloe House in East Cork to learn from Myrtle Allen, whose menus were built on local produce[2][3]. She married Myrtle's son Tim in 1970 and began teaching cookery from their home at Kinoith[3].
In 1983 she and her brother Rory O'Connell founded Ballymaloe Cookery School, which now sits on a 100-acre organic farm[1][4]. She presented nine series of Simply Delicious on Irish television and has written more than ten books[1].
Her awards include IACP Cooking Teacher of the Year in 2005, the André Simon award for Forgotten Skills in 2010 and an Irish Book Award for 30 Years at Ballymaloe in 2013[1][2]. She helped set up Ireland's farmers' market movement and represents Ireland in Slow Food[1][4].
Life Timeline
Tap any moment to read its story.
- Career A Student Finds Her Way To Ballymaloe A young hotel-management graduate goes to learn from Myrtle Allen at Ballymaloe House. She falls in love with the food, the farm and Myrtle's son Tim, and marries him in 1970. Read The Story
- Business Brother And Sister Open Ballymaloe Cookery School Darina Allen and her brother Rory O'Connell turn her home classes into Ballymaloe Cookery School. It grows into a school on its own organic farm, with students from around the world. Read The Story
- Milestone Bringing Farmers' Markets Back To Cork Inspired by a trip to San Francisco, Darina and Myrtle Allen open a new farmers' market in Cork. Darina becomes a founding figure of Ireland's farmers' market movement and of Slow Food in Ireland. Read The Story
- Award Cooking Teacher Of The Year The International Association of Culinary Professionals names Darina Allen its Cooking Teacher of the Year. It crowns a career built on teaching, after nine series of Simply Delicious on Irish television. Read The Story
- Book Forgotten Skills Wins The André Simon Award Darina Allen's Forgotten Skills of Cooking, a book about the old crafts of the farmhouse kitchen, wins the André Simon Food Book of the Year. A new compact edition follows years later. Read The Story
- Honour Thirty Years, A Feast And A Lifetime Award The cookery school turns 30. Darina marks it with a book that wins an Irish Book Award, a lifetime achievement award from the Guild of Food Writers and the launch of the Ballymaloe Literary Festival. Read The Story
Restaurants
- Ballymaloe Cookery School Shanagarry, Ireland co-founder and teacher · 1983–today Founded with her brother Rory O'Connell on the family farm at Kinoith; a cookery school rather than a restaurant. [3]
- Ballymaloe House Shanagarry, Ireland cook Myrtle Allen's country-house restaurant, where Darina learned and later helped Myrtle teach winter classes. [3]
Ranking History
Rank2Six-month average79Assessment of the month79
We update the ranking every month. It follows a six-month weighted average of the fame score, so one quiet month changes little.
| Assessment of the month | Rank | Fame Score | Six-month average |
|---|---|---|---|
| October 2026 | 2 | 79 | 79 |
Sources
Every fact on this page comes from these sources. Each number in the text points to the source it came from.