The inaugural Ballymaloe Festival of Food will take place in Ballymaloe from Friday, May 17th to Sunday, May 19^th, 2024 and will celebrate 60 years of Ballymaloe House.

Myrtle Allen and her husband Ivan first opened The Yeats Room at Ballymaloe in 1964, and this year the family will celebrate this anniversary with their continued ethos of sustainability and a return to the roots of that original farm to table movement.  The Festival of Food will include interesting and engaging talks from key experts, producers and advocates who will tell the crucially important story of sustainable local food.

The line-up includes award-winning food writer, cook and presenter from North London via Greek Cyprus, Georgina Hayden, chef from the Galápagos and co-founder of Firemade, bespoke fire kitchen-makers, Ana Ortiz, and Shivi Ramoutar, a Caribbean-London cook and author, described by The Guardian as a “Caribbean food supremo.”    Joining them are Mark Anderson, culinary director of Gather & Gather, as well as Bristol-based chef Freddy Bird, an alumnus of Ballymaloe Cookery School, who brings his generous, unpretentious, and relaxed style of cooking from Bristol’s little French and 1 York Place to a pop-up dinner in Ballymaloe House Hotel.

For the full programme CLICK HERE

With wine tastings and cocktail making, all day dining opportunities featuring the best local and international talent, this weekend focuses too on everything that is great and innovative about modern Irish food. From beekeepers, oyster farmers and cheesemakers to local whiskey distillers and artisan bakers, chefs from around Ireland and the UK will come together for a fantastic weekend of exploration and pleasure. 

Weekend tickets for all three days are €65 per person, individual day tickets on Friday are €20, with Saturday and Sunday tickets for €25 per person, including the Cook the Book Demos, Drinks Theatre, Walks and Talks, Big Shed Stage, Food Producers area, and more. Evening-only tickets on Friday or Saturday evening are €12, and the Woodshed lunches and dinners by guest chefs are €75 and €85 per person respectively. Children under 12 go free.

There will be a shuttle bus from Midleton and Ballycotton to the festival and car parking is also free.

Ballymaloe Festival of Food is proudly sponsored by Local Enterprise Office (South Cork), Cork County Council and Failte Ireland, Cully and Sully and Kerrygold.

See ballymaloegrainstore.com for more.