Rachel Allen has been passionate about food ever since she was a young girl and wiled the days away baking with her mum Hallfríður and sister Simone at home in Dublin. She studied at the famous Ballymaloe Cookery School, where she met her husband Isaac, and has worked there since the ‘90s. 20 years ago her television career took off, catapulting her to fame in Ireland, the UK, the US and beyond.
Cooking and baking has always played an important role in Rachel’s life but, when it came to her career, she originally wanted to be a fashion designer. However, after some careful consideration she decided to pursue her childhood passion and as a result is now one of Ireland’s most celebrated chefs and food writers.
Rachel describes her work life as “hectic” but says she is definitely not a workaholic and loves to spend time with family in Cork, where she has lived for many years. Her and Isaac’s three creative children are their pride and joy, and she loves seeing them live out their dreams. Eldest son Joshua runs a stone carving business and trains in MMA, while middle child Lucca is based in England thanks to his thriving motorsport career. Youngest daughter Scarlett, meanwhile, is showing promise as a talented cook and Rachel would be “delighted” to welcome her into the family business one day. But, “you have to balance the pride with the nerves”, as the mum-of-three admits she will always worry about her children, even as they get older.
Here, Rachel invites RSVP into Ballymaloe House to chat about her long-lasting career, the realities of being a mum and why she has no plans to slow down her busy workload just yet.
Read more: Rachel Allen lifts lid on childhood with sister who is also a talented cook
Read more: Rachel Allen shares look around Ballymaloe House - inside her busy work and home life
Rachel, you have been involved in the food business since the ‘90s, and this year marks 20 years since the release of your first cookbook and TV series, Rachel’s Favourite Food. Looking back, what keeps your career interesting after all these years?
Thankfully, I just love it. I know it might sound so cliched, but I’ve never not loved my job. I’m continuously inspired by the cookery school here in Ballymaloe. There is always something going on that grabs my interest, whether we have great new produce growing or fabulous students to teach. I love the crew of people we have working here. There is always something new to learn, or delicious to cook. The seasons changing is part of it as well as you can create new recipes. The food business is constantly evolving – and I’m constantly hungry! [laughs].
Where did your love of food stem from?
It started when I was younger, pretty much from my childhood. I used to bake so much at home, normally something sweet. It was something I always loved doing with my sister Simone, or my sister and my mum. It was a lovely way to pass the time as a kid.
Who taught you how to bake?
We always had cookbooks in the house – even the Ballymaloe one, funnily enough! My sister and I were always looking at recipes and choosing different things to try and bake. When we were very young, we used to pretend we had our own cooking show, which is very sweet looking back.
Does your sister work in the food industry too?
Simone is a really great cook, but no, it’s not her career. All of her friends are always asking her to make stuff for them though because she bakes the most beautiful recipes.
Did you always want to have a career in food or did you consider doing something different?
I actually wanted to go into fashion and shoe design. I did a Grafton Academy course in the summer between fifth and sixth year of secondary school. I did that with my cousin Mark and I remember looking at one of his drawings and thinking they were so artistic. My drawings were nothing like his, I could never really draw like he could. So I did a course at Ballymaloe when I was 18 and, as they say, the rest is history.
You have previously mentioned how your daughter Scarlett loves to bake. Can you see her pursuing a career in food?
Scarlett is always baking and she is really good. I can definitely see her being involved with food as her career. I think it would be great for her to go into the family business – if she wants to, of course. I’d be delighted to see that.
Your sons Josh and Lucca haven’t followed your footsteps into cookery! How are they getting on in their respective careers?
No, they haven’t. At all! [laughs]. The boys are doing good, really good actually. Josh is doing his stone carving and that’s going great, and he is training in mixed martial arts and taking part in competitions too. I prefer to call them competitions, not fights. Lucca is based in England for motor racing and that is working out really well for him too. The boys love what they do, and they’re both doing very well.
You’re obviously very proud of your sons, but you must feel nervous about their career choices too?
I’m very proud of them but, yes, you have to balance the pride with the nerves. I imagine it is the same with most other mums. You’re always going to be a bit worried about your kids and how things will go for them, but that’s probably the same feeling every mum has. It’s crazy to think how quickly time has flown by.
Do you worry about them more as they get older?
Yes, but again, that’s just part of being a mum. You always worry about your kids. I wish someone told me that this is what being a mum would be like when I was younger!
You’ve previously said sea swimming helps you to de-stress, do you still go for a dip every day?
Oh my God yes, I love it. I have to have my sea swim every day. The buzz I get off it never wears off for me.
You’re a very busy woman, how else do you like to wind down?
I go to a personal trainer to work out twice a week, depending on how busy I am with work, but I do try to keep in with him. We also have two dogs who need to be walked a lot, so I do that too. I like to keep active.
What about your diet? Do you eat nourishing foods to help give you peace of mind too?
I definitely think the better I’ve eaten, the better I feel so I do really keep that in mind when I’m planning what to cook. If I’m really tired, I make less good choices food wise. I should practise what I preach more, but I generally do – I eat a lot of hazelnuts as they have plenty of health benefits. Of course, I eat and cook with a lot of vegetables too and am conscious of eating healthily.
Are you strict with your diet or do you enjoy guilty pleasures?
Oh my God yes, of course I do. Life is all about balance. For me I love a bag of truffle and sea salt crisps with a good, strong Gin and Tonic. I love a pint of Guinness too.
Viewers are so used to seeing you on their televisions cooking, but we recently saw you co-host The Today Show with Daithi O’Se too. Is general TV presenting something you would like to explore more?
I love hosting Today. It’s great as the odd one-off here and there, but I don’t really have the time to do more of it while working at the cookery school as well. Any time RTE has asked me, if I’ve been free, I’ve done it. And if I’m able to again, I will happily do it with Daithi. It’s great fun, a wonderful show and I love being on it.
You have a very busy schedule with the cookery school and everything that goes on at Ballymaloe. Would you describe yourself as a workaholic?
No. Yes, I am very busy, but I definitely have a good balance between my work and home life. Of course the cookery school is so busy, but I don’t live too far away from it and I can walk home. I like being busy and I like being active, but I also like being balanced. The cookery school working hours are always daytime and mostly weekdays. I get into the school by 8 in the morning and I’m usually home just after 6pm, which is like most people’s working days I would think.
Do you ever think about slowing down and stepping back from work on the busier days?
No, definitely not yet. It’s not a crazy schedule or out of control. Scarlett will usually get home around ten minutes after I do, so I think it’s okay and very manageable. Of course, every now and then a part of me fantasises thinking, “Oh, it would be lovely to get the chance to hang out and drink coffee all day”. But then I think to myself would I get bored? Probably. But maybe a little bit of that would be nice.
You’re going to be appearing at the Savour Kilkenny Food Festival with other chefs like Rory O’Connell, Derry Clarke and Edward Hayden this month. Can you tell us about it?
Yes, I am so excited. I’m going to be doing a cookery demo on Sunday, the 27th of October. I went there last year and I think it’s a really great festival with a brilliant committee involved. Plus, Kilkenny is such a nice city. There will be fantastic restaurants and bars involved, but also local food producers, as well as ones from all around Ireland, will be there. Kilkenny Castle is the backdrop, which is stunning. As well as cookery demos there will be talks, a street market and pop-up dinners. It’s always a really fun and enjoyable weekend.
It has been another busy year for your career and at Ballymaloe, have you any plans for the rest of 2024?
I cannot believe it is already autumn and how fast this year is going. The plan is to do what I always do: keep trucking, keep swimming, keep working – and to keep trying to juggle it all!
This interview first appeared in the October 2024 issue of RSVP Magazine.
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