A Dublin Teenager Arrives At Ballymaloe

Rachel Allen grew up in Dublin^[1][3]. As a teenager she had other dreams too. She thought about travelling, and even about designing shoes^[3]. But one thing kept pulling her back. She was always passionate about cooking^[3].

So at 18 she left home and headed south, to Ballymaloe Cookery School in east Cork^[1][3]. The year was 1990^[2].

A School On A Farm

Ballymaloe is not a city cookery school. It sits in the countryside of east Cork, a long way from the Dublin streets she knew. For a girl of 18, it was a new world, and a big leap of faith^[1][3].

She did well. After graduating she stayed on and cooked in the kitchens at Ballymaloe House, the famous country house restaurant nearby^[1][2]. Real service, real guests and real pressure taught her how a professional kitchen works.

Off To Canada

Then she travelled. She worked in catering in Canada for a while^[3]. The Shropshire Star places her in Vancouver^[4]. She later said Canada made her appreciate the food she ate, because it was all about the produce^[3].

Back To Teach

She did not stay away long. She returned to Ballymaloe, this time to teach^[3][4]. It turned out to be her calling. Teaching is my favourite thing of all, she later said of her work^[4].

The school still lists her as a teacher today. She teaches every week, on the famous 12-week certificate course and on shorter courses, often using her own recipes^[2].

Those early lessons gave her a way of cooking that she still teaches: good ingredients, simple methods and food that people actually want to eat at home^[1][3].

None of the fame that followed would have happened without those first years. A Dublin teenager took a chance on a cookery school in the country, and found a home, a craft and a career^[1][2][3].