Darina Allen brings the spirit of Ireland on Indian hotel tour

The Ballymaloe chef will cook Irish food for Indian guests in Mumbai, New Delhi and Bengaluru

Hot smoked fish labneh with cucumber pickle and scallion oil.

Ballymaloe chef Darina Allen has travelled to India this week as part of a Bord Bia programme to showcase Irish whiskey and cuisine to the fast-growing market.

India has risen to become the fifth-largest export market globally for Irish whiskey, achieving an annual growth rate of around 60%, according to Marian O'Higgins, an India and Middle East market specialist at Bord Bia.

The Bord Bia organisation, which promotes Irish produce internationally, is bringing Ms Allen and chef Gary Masterson on a tour of Taj Hotels in Mumbai, New Delhi and Bengaluru.

At each location the two Irish chefs will work with Taj culinary teams to create menus exploring Irish cuisine. Each dish will be paired with an Irish spirit, including whiskey, cream liqueur and gin. 

Ms Allen will introduce guests to the dishes and the stories behind them at each dinner, speaking about Irish ingredients and food culture.

“Ireland produces the most wonderful food, and so much is due to the quality of the ingredients themselves, where they originate and how they are produced," said Ms Allen, noting that she was "looking forward" to both sharing Irish cuisine and learning about Indian food culture.

Her menu includes Ballymaloe breads, a starter of tomato, leek and squash broth parsley pesto, seaweed and dillisk scones, a second course of hot-smoked fish and labneh, a main of Irish stew and colcannon, and bite-sized Ballymaloe desserts.

Participating spirit brands include Drumshanbo Gunpowder Irish Gin, Jameson whiskey, West Cork whiskey distillers, Writers’ Tears, Teeling and Baileys.

Irish spirits on show in Indian hotels.

The three Spirit of Ireland evenings will be ticketed events, with Indian consumers making up the majority of guests. Each evening will combine an Irish-inspired menu, Irish spirit pairings and culinary storytelling, alongside a smaller number of invited hospitality, trade, media and diplomatic guests.

The dinners will be followed by a week-long promotion of participating Irish spirits at each hotel. Ms O'Higgins said the events were intended to introduce Ireland to Indian consumers, lay the groundwork for longer-term opportunities for Irish producers, and build consumer demand in the country.

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