Rachel Allen

Rachel Allen left home at just 18 to pursue a career in cooking. Originally from Foxrock, a suburb of Dublin, Ireland she moved to County Cork to study at the famous Ballymaloe Cookery School. Soon after graduating from the prestigious culinary school, she worked at the Ballymaloe House Hotel testing recipes and then on to teaching at the school. Her first television series, called Rachel’s Favourite Food, was broadcast in 2004 throughout Ireland, Canada, Australia, and elsewhere in Europe. A book of the same name accompanied the series, giving viewers a true insight into Rachel’s special brand of family-orientated cooking and recipes.

Since then she has authored more than eight different cookery books, based on baking and home cooking. She’s particularly famous for her baking recipes, such as the delicious walnut and American frosting cake, as well as simpler recipes like basic fairy cakes. Rachel’s books have sold more than 1 million copies worldwide. As well as being a TV chef and author, Rachel writes regular columns for Irish magazine and The Sunday Tribune. In the past, she has also contributed to BBC Good Food magazine and AWT at Home magazine. Alongside writing, Rachel also teaches at the same school she trained. She regularly appears on BBC’s Saturday Kitchen and has her own popular cooking show on Irelands RTE network. 

In March 2017, Rachel Allen opened her first restaurant. Dwyers of Cork on Washington Street in Cork is a joint business venture with her husband, Isaac, and publican Paul Montgomery. Appearing on the show over a number of years, in September 2019 Rachel returned as a judge and co-host with Marco Pierre White on the popular Irish television series, The Restaurant. Rachel lives in County Cork with her husband, Issac. The couple has three children together - Luka, Joshua, and Scarlett. From simple one-pot meals and roast dinners to your favourite sweet treats, we’ve got all of the best Rachel Allen recipes to choose from.