A new era for Irish cuisine when Myrtle Allen began to provide fine dining at her home Ballymaloe House.
As Myrtle Allen explains, Ballymaloe House hotel in Shanagarry County Cork came into existence as a result of a number of factors.
Five of her six children were in boarding school, her time in Macra na Fairme had come to an end and running a restaurant suited the family lifestyle,
I was working at home, and that was one of the reasons we did it.
With husband Ivan's vegetable growing business and her knowledge of other local food producers Myrtle Allen could see something special on their doorstep that was underutilised,
We had such very good materials.
In addition, her time as a cookery writer for the Irish Farmers Journal put her in a position where she was willing to take the plunge as a restauranteur, filling a gap in the market.
Anybody can see something that they can do, and that’s needed, so you pop in and do it if you can.
This episode of 'Hanly’s People’ was broadcast on 19 December 1988. The presenter is David Hanly.
‘Hanly’s People’ was a weekly programme featuring a guest in conversation with presenter David Hanly in a living-room setting for half an hour. Each guest was someone in the news, making the news, or behind the news. They were drawn from all spheres of public life, including politics and the arts. ‘Hanly’s People’ was first broadcast on 6 October 1986 and ended on 6 June 1991.
