Saturday with Rachel Allen: I kick start my day with an early morning swim

Chef, author, and broadcaster Rachel Allen shares 

06.30

I always say that I’ll try to sleep in and then never seem to sleep past 6.30 or 7am. I love to have a cup of tea in bed while reading my book. I really enjoy reading crime novels, although, as I am soon to visit South Korea, I am currently reading We Do Not Part by Han Kang, a Korean writer who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 2024.

08.30

Most days I go for a swim. On a Saturday our swim might be a little bit later than midweek - around 8.30 or 9am. We have a bit of a crew. In the summer we’ll have quite a long swim but in the winter it’s more of a quick dip.

We like to go to Ballynamona Beach here in Ballycotton Bay. I sound like such a bore but I find it bracing… it gets the dogs down to the beach for a run… someone might bring coffee… It kicks starts the day and helps me to be productive. If I start the day more lazily I find it can continue in that vein.

09.30

I might tidy around the house and organize some things… general pottering.

12:30

If I have to pick up something in Cork city we might have a bite of lunch in Isaacs Restaurant. We might meet up with friends in the city while also planning our next meal.

14.00

If I’m at home in the afternoon I might meet a friend at Careswood Garden Center and Cafe. My poor pots have been slightly neglected this summer as I have been quite busy working at various food festivals and in the Ballymaloe Cookery School. I always say that I’ll have a little siesta on a Saturday afternoon but then I never do – it’s like I’m afraid I might miss something.

If I’m working at a festival my day will look quite different. I would have left the house earlier in the day to get on the road. For instance during the summer I was cooking at a food festival in Belfast and in Laois so I would have got a swim in before packing two or three crates in the boot of the car, driving to the festival and then driving back home that night.

The food that I love is really simple food cooked well. It’s all about the produce. I never get tired of seeing people making their first loaf of bread or baking their first cake, filling a fish or boning a leg of lamb — I think these skills are so important to pass on. I am so inspired by Darina Allen and Rory O’Connell at the cookery school. It’s a very exciting place to work, I love teaching people how to cook, and I never get bored of it.

17:00

If we are going out for dinner we might go for a drink in McGrath’s in Ballycotton beforehand. We often go to dinner in friends’ houses or they will come to us. It’s one of my favorite ways to spend time with people — it’s so lovely when people go to the effort to cook for each other.

So many of my friends are involved in the food business in some way. For example, I’ve known Kate O’Donnell and her brother Ed for years. Our crisp collaboration was a very nice, organic one because they’ve been coming to Ballymaloe festivals for years with their products. Kate has always found it amusing how much I appreciate a great crisp so collaborating on these products was a natural progression. If I’m cooking for people I will often source my vegetables and herbs at the shop at the cookery school. Iago in Cork sells delicious charcuterie and cheese. Isaac, my husband, will often go to the farmer’s market in Middleton while I’m having my morning swim and will come back with some delicious smoked fish from Frank Hederman.

20.00

If I’m not visiting a friend or having guests over on a Saturday night, I might be having something delicious to eat while watching TV. I love something like a Harlan Coben series. I probably should watch something lighthearted, sweet and romantic, but no, they don’t really float my boat.

23:00

I have definitely got better at trying to look after my skin. I really love to use Irish skincare products. I love Mervue, Kinvara and GROUND Wellbeing.

I’ll say I’m not a night owl but if I’m out with friends I am known to stay out late. During the week however I’m in bed by 10pm every night — I couldn’t bear to be tired at work.

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