Rachel Allen: 'My grandfather escaped from a concentration camp'

'I don't think it's good to have regrets but I'd like to have asked my grandparents more'

Sat, 14 Oct, 2023 - 02:00

Mary Cate Smith

I grew up in Foxrock in Dublin. I had a really happy childhood.

My parents were always supportive. I baked a lot with my sister. We used to set up our teddy bears against a wall in the kitchen and pretend that we were teaching them or doing a TV program. She was always in charge and I was her assistant. We laugh about that now.

My mum had a boutique down the road in Foxrock Village. She always managed to have something delicious to eat for us. She’d leave a note for when we got home frrom school saying; ‘chicken stew in the oven' or we'd go straight down to her in the shop.

I played hockey and did gymnastics. I had a great group of friends; I still see them now. I went to Alexandra College which was an all-girls school. I'd always wanted to go to a mixed school just to be with boys.

Fate is funny, isn't it? Opportunities can come your way whether you choose to take them or not. I really wasn't sure if I wanted to do my Leaving Cert. I was impatient to get out there but my parents suggested I stay in school.

I agreed to be an au pair in Spain with some family friends straight after leaving school. At the last moment, I decided I couldn't do it. I was 17 and quite immature, I definitely wasn't ready for the continent.

I came to the cookery school in Ballymalole when I was 18. I was thinking about either doing something like drama studies or shoe design in Cordwainers in London.

I wanted to travel first. My parents did say; ‘How are you going to fund that? And I said; ‘Well, won’t you?’

They said; ‘Why don’t you learn a skill that you can travel the world with and that way, you can pay for yourself.’

I had worked with a private caterer for a few dinner parties before I came to Ballymaloe to see if I was interested. I did the three-month course certificate course.

Thinking back to when I was young, I realise now how privileged and sheltered I was. Everything was easy. Having fun was a priority for me when I was younger. As you get older, different challenges face you.

Losing my dad [was the greatest challenge] I faced because that's not reversible. Other challenges you can work through. I lost my friend Emma. I still talk to them as if they’re there.

I had so much of my life with Dad. He reached a really good age. So many people have lost their parents so young. Up until then, I hadn't really come across mortality.

My close friend Sarah died when I was in my very early 20s. I remember that being a shock. In time, it becomes part of the thread of your life.

My grandmother was delighted when I was invited to Buckingham Palace. I was filming some programmes in the UK at the time so I grabbed that opportunity but having my children is my proudest achievement.

My sister, my mum, and my husband Isaac [are the people I turn to most]. My daughter Scarlett is 14. She's really wise. All my children have good heads on their shoulders.

You don't know how someone else's day has been. If someone's not being what I perceive as kind or in a good mood, I try to think; 'One doesn't know what's going on in their life.'

The best life lesson is to treat people as you'd like to be treated yourself - that’s from my parents. Darina will give great advice all the time when I'm at the cookery school. She strives for what’s right all the time - and not just with food.

I’d like to be remembered as someone who's kind and good company.

I don't think it's good to have regrets but one tends to be more interested in certain things as one gets older. Maybe I'd ask my grandparents more; like how my grandfather escaped from a concentration camp or how things were for my grandmother - she was born in 1910.

At that stage of your life, you're just busy running around after children.

My parents-in-law have always been talking about sustainability here at the cookery school. I was 18 when I came down here in 1993, and they were talking about provenance and sustainability, and they weren't the buzzwords they are now.

Early on, I realised that sustainability was important, even just at a food farming level. We were talking about not using chemicals in foods, respecting the soil, and not depleting the nutrients.

I like balance in life. I start my day with a swim in the sea or a walk with the dogs. I do strength training in the gym to keep myself moving and my muscles strong.

I also believe in taking care of myself, sitting down, and having delicious foods and drinks with friends and my husband.

I could be an actress in New York living in the city, but I don't know if I'd be happy.

I wasn't really that into drama when I was at school but I always wanted to do something exciting.

I love where I am now though. I could be a shoe designer, living a very different, urban life but I feel like I would know there was something missing. I can't imagine being as happy in a completely different life.