Ballymaloe Cookery School Gardens

The gardens at Ballymaloe Cookery School lie at Shanagarry in East County Cork, close to the sea and set within the school’s own 100-acre organic farm. The cookery school, which has been running since 1983, grows much of the produce used in its kitchens here, and the surrounding gardens have grown into one of the most rewarding places to walk in the region.

There is a good deal to explore across the grounds. Formal, ornamental areas sit alongside working productive spaces, including a modern herb garden laid out as a parterre, a formal fruit garden, a vegetable garden and a long herbaceous border. Other features include a shell house, a water garden with pools, a Celtic maze and topiary, while a wildflower meadow is allowed to grow more freely through the season. Some parts are highly designed and others deliberately left wild, giving the gardens a changing character as you move through them.

The wider organic farm supplies the school with vegetables, fruit, eggs, meat and dairy, and free-range livestock are kept on the land. Visitors can extend a garden visit by following the Farm Walk, which begins near the Shell House and leads into the meadow. Guided garden tours are run by the school’s gardeners and cover the planting, seasonal work and organic methods used across the site.

Most visitors find that one to two hours allows a comfortable look around, and the gardens can be enjoyed across several visits at different times of year. It is worth checking opening times and tour availability with the school before travelling, as access can vary by season.