Shaneod's blog

AUDI Ireland is the official car partner to this year's Kerrygold Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine. This is the second year that Audi has partnered with the festival which takes place from 16-18 May at Ballymaloe House and Cookery School, in Shanagarry, Co Cork.

The event, which attracted over 8,000 people last year, brings some of the world's best Audi cars outside the cookery school known chefs, critics, authors, kitchen gardeners, foragers and wine experts to East Cork
for a three-day celebration of food, wine and literature.

The Kerrygold Ballymaloe Literary Festival launch was held in O'Connell's Restaurant in Donnybrook, last Wednesday 30th April at 6.30pm. Tom O'Connell and his professional team greeted the 70 guests with delicious platters of food, glasses of wine and tumblers of homemade mint lemonade.

The British chef, restaurateur and journalist on why the term foodie has become something of a four-letter word.

Food philosophy I really do believe in simplicity, and whenever my cooks come up with dishes, I always take things out. I believe it's the job of the cook to be faithful to ingredients and work on how to make them taste of themselves.

The dish he'd most likely cook for himself I'll tell you what I had last night - sardines on toast!

The Evening Herald cover the recent launch of this years Litfest in Dublin:

DUBLIN'S foodies will be beating a path to O'Connell's restaurant in Donnybrook this evening for an invite-only launch.

Details of the Kerrygold Ballymaloe Literary Festival of food and drink will be unveiled at the bash. Doing the honours will be journalist and broadcaster John Bowman alongside Rachel Allen and her mum-in-law Darina.

We at Neff are exceptionally proud to say that The Ballymaloe Cookery School have been using Neff appliances since they opened in 1983. Therefore Neff are delighted to be a best friend sponsor for the Kerrygold Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine. We would like to thank Darina and Rory for their continued support.

“Could you imagine Irish cuisine without cheese, bread, beer, whiskey, or cured meats?”

So asks Sandor Katz, who will speak at Kerrygold Ballymaloe LitFest 2014 which will be held 16-18 May next. The idea doesn't bear thinking about, the foods he mentions above are the very essence of our cultural heritage and for many of us, barely a day goes by when we don't eat a fermented food.

Interest in traditional fermentation methods is on the rise however. Katz explains:

After a hugely successful family inaugural year, the Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food & Wine is back, and it's bigger and better than ever before. Joe McNamee meets the people making it happen — brother and sister Darina Allen and Rory O'Connell.

Simon Hopkinson is one of the big names coming to Ballymaloe next month. He talks to Joe McNamee about his life-long passion for food and cooking

This article was publish in the Sunday Business Post

No Doubting Thomasina

For TV chef and author Thomasina Miers, it all started with a visit to the Ballymaloe cookery school in Co Cork

Words: Alex Meehan

Former Masterchef UK winner Thomasina Miers is very far from typical of her peers.

The following article appeared in Cara Magazine

What's cooking?

Pack your apron - the folks at Ballymaloe have prepared a feast of events for this year’s Literary Festival of Food and Wine. Frances Power reports

I’m cycling from Cork Airport to Shanagarry,” says Alys Fowler, gardener, writer, forager and guest speaker at this year’s Ballymaloe Literary Festival of Food and Wine. It’s a 40-kilometre trip. “I need to turn up hungry so I have space for all the amazing food.”