Cooking with Rachel Allen from Ballymaloe Foods

Sunday, September 2, 2018

I was thrilled to be invited to cook with celebrity chef, Rachel Allen and to learn more about the range of Ballymaloe products.

I have visited the Ballymaloe Cookery school and loved seeing Rachel in action but this was a chance to cook along with her and benefit from her expertise. What a treat!

The event took place at Forestside Cookery school and was attended by a small group of invited guests who all got a chance to cook along with Rachel.

Keen to showcase the Ballymaloe range, she got us cooking recipes that would best suit the products. We started by making Wheaten bread, a firm favourite in the Eating Ideas household and perfect with cheese and a dollop of Ballymaloe tomato relish.

Next up, we made ham and cheese quesadilla with Crème Fraiche and Ballymaloe jalapeno pepper relish. I always forget how easy these are to make and this flavour combination was perfect.

While our bread was baking in the oven, Rachel showed us how she makes her special potato salad using Ballymaloe French dressing along with home-made mayonnaise. I have never been brave enough to make my own mayo, but seeing how easy Rachel made it look, I just might try it! Finally she made a simple chicken and cranberry salad, using Ballymaloe cranberry sauce. The 2 salads were then served with Ballymaloe pickled beetroot and all 3 were delicious.

This was a fantastic experience and I thoroughly enjoyed myself. I have to say that Rachel is every bit as lovely in real life as she is on the telly and it was fantastic to cook along with her. She even took the time to sign a copy of her recipe book for one lucky reader to win. Keep an eye out for the giveaway coming soon

You can find out more about the range of Ballymaloe products here.