Ballymaloe Cookery School

Ballymaloe Cookery School sits within a 100-acre organic farm at Shanagarry in County Cork, in the east of the county not far from Midleton. It was opened in 1983 by Darina Allen, one of Ireland’s best-known cooks and food writers, together with her brother Rory O’Connell, and it has grown into one of the country’s most respected centres for practical cookery instruction.

Teaching is closely tied to the surrounding farm and gardens, which supply much of the food used in the kitchens. The land produces fruit, herbs and vegetables through the year, while free-range livestock and hundreds of hens provide meat, dairy and eggs. Much of this produce also reaches the wider community through the on-site farm shop and a weekly stall at the Midleton farmers’ market.

The school runs a broad range of courses, from short sessions on particular themes to its well-known 12-week certificate programme, which covers cooking techniques across a variety of cuisines alongside skills such as butchery, fermentation and cheesemaking. It has more recently developed an Organic Farm School focused on sustainable and regenerative food production.

Beyond the classes, visitors can explore the ornamental gardens, browse the garden and farm shop, and take guided walks around the farm. Together these make the setting as much a part of a visit as the cooking itself.