Laois Connect 2 Food are hosting a Food Futures Event in the Heritage Killenard on Wednesday.
It is expected to be an exciting day with guest speakers including Domini Kemp and Darina Allen.
Ahead of the event, Cullahill native and Culinary Queen Darina Allen of Ballymaloe Cookery School took the time out of her busy schedule to talk to LaoisToday for a fun filled interview.
Are you looking forward to coming back home to Laois?
Absolutely, it’s always special coming home. I still have lots of family there. It’s crazy to think I left in the late 60s and have been in Cork ever since.
What do you hope for the future of food tourism in Laois?
I hope for the future of food tourism to relate a lot like Noma in Copenhagen, just how they have set a foundation from a city centre to an entire region of food. I’m looking forward to coming to Laois and speaking all about it.
After running such a successful business and cookery school down in Ballymaloe, when are you going to come back to Laois to start a cookery school here?
*Laughs* I think running one cookery school is enough!
What would be your favourite recipe?
At the moment I love working with rhubarb. It’s in season and I always find it has that fresh taste of spring to it!
Whose cooking do you prefer Rachel’s (her daughter and TV chef) or Rory (O’Connell, her brother, and TV chef also)?
Oh gosh, that’s a question that could get me in trouble! They both have very different style of cooking. That’s very common with male and female chefs. It’s great that we all have different styles to our cooking and I think that’s how the three of us work so well in the cookery school. We each have own unique style.
You have so many cookbooks, will you be bringing out another one any time soon?
Yes, in fact I’m working on a big one at the moment it’s a collection of recipes from my Simply Delicious range. So it’s all very exciting.
Ballymaloe is known for its ethos of keeping things simple and working with seasons, do you find that is the right approach for any food business?
Yes, absolutely. If you want your unique selling point to stand out it must be simple. Simplicity is key.
What food do you hate?
I hate any processed food substances. They aren’t proper food at all, and it’s killing our bodies. Knowing where your food is coming from and what you’re eating is so important.
