Darina Allen examines some of the latest food trends

Darina Allen says it is time to make a shopping list for your Christmas meals to remove any stress and enjoy the break with your loved ones.

As Darina Allen marks 21 years of her column for The Irish Examiner, Weekend editor Vickie Maye pays tribute.

Honey & Co Chefs, husband and wife team, Sarit Packer and Itamar Srulovich are sitting contentedly at our kitchen table podding peas and broad beans for supper.

Celebrity chef Darina Allen's Ballymaloe Cookery School returned to profit last year, recording a profit of €62,134 compared to a loss of €45,548 in the previous year.

The Paris restaurant scene has sprung back into life. That may sound like a bizarre observation considering its reputation as the gastronomic capital of the world.

To celebrate Holi, the festival of colour and love- a piece on India.

THE last few weeks have been a frenzy of marmalade-making. Julia, and her team in the Farmers Market kitchen here at the Ballymaloe Cookery School, have been slicing and juicing surrounded by preserving pans of bubbling citrus peel.

Two restaurants in Cork and a restaurant in London have triumphed on the global food stage at the inaugural World Restaurant Awards.

From starters to the main course, Darina Allen and Rory O’Connell unveil the ultimate Christmas feast – including the traditional turkey and all the trimmings.

Root vegetables will be even better in a few weeks’ time, says Darina Allen.

Ted Dinan, Professor of Psychiatry at UCC and I shared a platform at the Science Foundation of Ireland and IIBN event at the River Lee Hotel recently.

This week’s column is a celebration of the potato — the super versatile, super nutritious and super cool tuber often referred to as the humble spud.

Wild foods have never been so much in vogue, they are all over restaurant menus and we love it, writes Darina Allen

Darina Allen looks back on the success of her Simply Delicious cookbooks

Her Simply Delicious books taught a generation of Irish people to cook. Now, in a new book, Darina Allen has compiled 100 recipes from the classic collection for the next generation, writes Joe McNamee

On Sunday, September 30, we celebrate Slow Food Grandmothers’ Day at the Ballymaloe Cookery School.

Television chef Rachel Allen and comedian Brendan Grace are teaming up to re-create the most famous Tea Party in Ireland’s history, as they are set to host the Kennedy Tea Party during a summer school in Co Wexford.

FOR some time now I’ve become more and more intrigued by the food of the Caucasus — Ukraine, Georgia, Azerbaijan, Armenia.

Darina Allen shares some of her favourite recipes with edible flowers

THE currant and berry garden here at the Ballymaloe Cookery School is bursting with ripe, juicy organic fruit and so are the Farmers Markets.

On the occasion of her 70th birthday this month, Joe McNamee talks to Darina Allen about her life in food, a journey that has grown increasingly radical with each passing year.

Darina Allen offers up some recipese with a Chinese flavour.

Kitty Travers’ La Grotta Ices book has arrived just in time for us to catch some of the early summer flavours that the undisputed ice-cream queen has captured in recipes that you and I can make right now.

By the time you read this column on Saturday, the news of Myrtle Allen’s passing will be well known.

Darina Allen prepares more delicious recipes and talks about a restaurant called Kricket in London.

RECENTLY I was invited back to my home county, Laois to an event to raise awareness of the burgeoning food scene.

Rory O’Connell and I were over in the US for St Patricks Day doing our bit to spread the word about the exciting renaissance on the Irish food scene and the many good things that are happening over here.

DOWN here on our farm in Shanagarry the hens are laying with gay abandon, a clutch of chicks just hatched out in time for Easter and the ducks on our little pond at the end of the garden seem to be producing a beautiful duck egg each and every day.

Time for St Brigid to be as big as St Patrick — after all neither of their lineages stands up to real scrutiny, so no grounds for nit picking there, writes Darina Allen.

Jerusalem artichokes curious nutty flavour is reminiscent of an artichoke heart which has a wonderful affinity with fish particularly mussels and scallops, writes Darina Allen.

I just love that the tradition of celebrating Little Christmas or Nollaig na mBan, as it was known, has once again become super cool. Why wouldn’t it? 

HOW do we keep the magic of Christmas alive at a time in history when we are all being mercilessly manipulated by commercial interests. 

Surely people know by now that pure natural butter is good for us and that other edible ‘food like substances’ predominately made in laboratories are most definitely not, writes Darina Allen

Ask any of my Certificate Course students where they would like to work when they finish their stint at the Ballymaloe Cookery School — at least a quarter will sigh wistfully and mention Ottolenghi and indeed many of my past students have worked there and loved their experience.

We are a few weeks into the college year now and for many, it’s been a shock to the system, a moment of realisation when the penny drops that you are absolutely on your own — to get up on time, feed yourself, do your washing and the gizillion other little things we’ve become accustomed to others doing for us.

Darina Allen is on a mission. In her new 600-page book, she’s calling on us all to grow our own food, writes Ciara McDonnell

I adore homemade ice creams, sorbets and granitas, the latter is a granular version of a sorbet or water ice, so no cream and the ice is whisked while freezing or grated when frozen to produce a more granular texture.

It’s such an exciting time in food and even though the figures for obesity and Type 2 diabetes continue to increase, there are real grounds for optimism as growing numbers don their Lycra and take to their bikes or run or swim or walk.

Three times a year we offer a tapas course, it’s always oversubscribed as is the canapé class. We all love little bites of something tasty and delicious - such a lovely way of eating.

We’ve been having fun cooking on the barbeque. We fire up the grill at every opportunity. I have to say that even though the flavour of food cooked over charcoal or wood is far more delicious, the gas barbie is mighty tempting, particularly when you want to snatch a moment between the showers.

It’s been a busy week, just doing the final corrections for my next book, Grow, Cook, Nourish. Every time I think we’re there, another list of queries come winging their way by email. 

We are coming into the most super exciting time of the year for both cooks and gardeners. The summer produce is ready to harvest at last, says Darina Allen.