Ballymaloe Country House Hotel

Shanagarry, Midleton, Co. Cork, Ireland

Myrtle Allen is Ireland’s answer to Alice Waters: The centenarian chef has lobbied the Irish parliament for better food policies, earned some Michelin stars, and, 50 years ago, opened a restaurant called the Yeats Room in the town of Shanagarry, an hour east of Cork City. She eventually added bedrooms upstairs and called it Ballymaloe House, and her sous-chef-turned-daughter-in-law, Darina Allen—who has written canonical Irish cookbooks and helped lead Ireland’s Slow Food movement—tacked on the Ballymaloe Cookery School and farm two miles from the main house.

This is thus the seat of Ireland’s food royalty, and it shows. The restaurant spins flavorful dinners out of whatever comes in from the farm or East Cork’s fishing boats, and the cookery school has become known the world over for teaching expert and novice chefs to make pizzas, ferment pickles, cook baby food, and grow fruits, vegetables, and herbs. Even without all that, the ivy-fronted house—and cabins and cottages on the farm’s grounds—make for a simple, pleasant country retreat.

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Eat, Stay, Cook in County Cork

Ballymaloe originated as a Norman castle in the mid 15th century. Today, the 400-acre estate, 20 miles from the city of Cork, is home to a superb farm-to-table restaurant and a variety of guest rooms and cottages. For the past 30 years, the Allen family has also operated a world-renown cooking school nearby in Kinoith. In May, 2013, Ballymaloe was the site of the Travel Classics travel writing conference, during which Darina Allen, of the Cookery School, took a few of us on a foraging walk around the grounds and into the woods.

Experience the Irish Countryside at Ballymaloe Country House Hotel

This estate originated as a Norman castle in the mid-14th century. Today, 400-acre Ballymaloe, 20 miles from the city of Cork, is home to a superb farm-to-table restaurant and a variety of guest rooms and cottages. For the past 30 years, the Allen family has operated the world-renowned Cookery School in nearby Kinoith. Darina Allen (something like the Alice Waters of Ireland) might take you on a foraging walk around the grounds and into the woods. From $200.

Farm-to-table lunch in Cork

The Ballymaloe Cookery School is the epicenter of Ireland‘s burgeoning local, sustainable, organic food movement. Our farm-to-table lunch at the School started with this plate of charcuterie of locally raised and cured meats, greens plucked just moments before from the garden, Ballymaloe butter, local chutney and relish, and the best deviled egg I’d ever eaten. In attendance were representatives of Ireland’s Good Food organization, whose website -- http://goodfoodireland.ie/ -- can be used to plan a food-centric trip around the country.

The Honor System

Outside the organic gardens of Ballymaloe House in County Cork, passersby are encouraged to pick up the morning’s fresh offerings--including flowers, rhubarb, and farm eggs--and leave payment in the money box.

Good cooking at Ballymaloe House

The name Ballymaloe is synonymous for good cooking, with its famous residential cookery school and this country house hotel and restaurant in East Cork is run by the same family and has been going since the 1960s. This is traditional, country house cooking, with home-grown and local produce. If you’re staying here, check out the walled garden or take a pre-dinner walk in the grounds to work up an appetite for the five-course dinner, which includes seafood, pâté and terrines, meat, poultry and the catch of the day. If you have room after dinner, the cheese selection showcases some of the best Irish cows, goats and sheep’s cheese.

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