Rachel Allen

Allen went to the Ballymaloe Cookery School at the age of 18. After graduating from the school she cooked at the Ballymaloe House Hotel, eventually returning first to test recipes and then to teach at the school. She worked for a while as a caterer in Vancouver{{cite web|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/food/chefs/rachel_allen|title=BBC – Food – Chefs: Rachel Allen Recipes|accessdate=2 May 2015}} before returning to teach at Ballymaloe Cookery School.

In September 2004, RTÉ broadcast Allen's first series in Ireland Rachel's Favourite Food, which has also been broadcast in Australia, Canada and Europe, and elsewhere. A book, Rachel's Favourite Food, accompanied the series, published by Gill & Macmillan. Two further TV series and books followed, Rachel's Favourite Food for Friends and Rachel's Favourite Food at Home; reruns of the latter became part of Create's television schedule in the United States starting in September 2010.{{cite web|url=http://www.createtv.com/CreateTV.nsf/vNews/Irish+Cooking+Star+Rachel+Allen+Joins+Public+Television+s+Create+Channel+In+September|title=Irish Cooking Star Rachel Allen Joins Public Television's Create Channel in September|date=23 August 2010|publisher=Create|accessdate=27 September 2010}}

Allen is a frequent guest on BBC's Saturday Kitchen, and was one of the presenters on the Good Food Channel's Market Kitchen show. In 2008, she was in a series called Rachel Allen: Bake! for RTÉ.{{cite web|url=https://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/entertainment/film-tv/news/rachel-allen-ive-always-loved-the-creativity-of-cooking-but-didnt-dream-it-would-lead-to-tv-career-34768598.html|accessdate=22 April 2020|title=Rachel Allen: 'I've always loved the creativity of cooking, but didn't dream it would lead to TV career}}

Allen has written for many Irish publications, including three years with Irish lifestyle magazine Image and a weekly column in The Sunday Tribune Magazine. She has also contributed to BBC Good Food magazine and AWT at Home magazine.{{Citation needed|date=October 2010}} Rachel's books have sold in excess of 1 million worldwide.{{cite web|url=http://www.cookingisfun.ie/ballymaloe-cookery-school/lecturers/rachel-allen|accessdate=22 April 2020|title=Rachel Allen at Ballymaloe Cookery School}}

In 2010, Allen launched a line of products for Tipperary Crystal, including crystal stemware, porcelain dinner sets, and kitchen/dining essentials.{{cite web |url=http://www.rte.ie/tv/theafternoonshow/2010/0224/rachelallen871.html |title=RTÉ Television – The Afternoon Show|website=RTÉ.ie|accessdate=14 August 2015}}

In 2012, she was involved in a controversy over hunting pictures of her posted on Facebook.{{cite web |url=http://www.joe.ie/uncategorized/tv-chef-rachel-allen-addresses-controversial-pheasant-kill-photo-with-facebook-post/30735 |title=TV Chef Rachel Allen Addresses Controversial Pheasant Kill Photo With Facebook Post |accessdate=14 August 2015}} She soon appeared as a guest on The Saturday Night Show to discuss the subject.{{cite news|url=http://www.rte.ie/ten/2012/0106/saturdaynightshow.html|title=Rachel Allen among O'Connor's guests|date=6 January 2012|accessdate=6 January 2012|work=RTÉ Ten|publisher=Raidió Teilifís Éireann}} Allen won the 2012 Irish Book Award for Best Non-Fiction for Easy Meals.{{cite web|url=https://www.harpercollins.com/author/cr-135536/rachel-allen-1/|accessdate=23 April 2020|title=Rachel Allen Author}}

In March 2017, Allen opened her first restaurant 'Rachel's' in Cork's Washington Street, part of a business venture with her husband, Isaac, and publican Paul Montgomery. The restaurant closed on 8 August 2018, for an eight-week, a €1m revamp.{{cite web|url=https://www.irishexaminer.com/ireland/rachel-allen-to-close-city-restaurant-for-1m-eight-week-revamp-472928.html|accessdate=22 April 2020|title=Rachel Allen to close city restaurant for €1m, eight-week revamp}} The restaurant was reopened and its name changed to Dwyers of Cork, to reflect the heritage of the original Dwyer's of Cork factory.{{cite web|url=https://www.yaycork.ie/rachels-restaurant-has-been-renamed-ahead-of-a-relaunch/|accessdate=2 April 2020|title=It's set to reopen on Thursday after months of refurbishment, but Rachel's restaurant will no longer be called after celeb chef Rachel Allen.}}

In September 2019, Rachel Allen returned as a judge and co-host with chef Marco Pierre White on the popular Irish television series The Restaurant.{{cite web|url=http://thetaste.ie/wp/tv3s-restaurant-diner-applicaitons/|accessdate=23 April 2020|title=Virgin Media's The Restaurant Returns and Wants You to Take Part as a Diner}} Allen joined the series after food writer Tom Doorley left in 2017.{{cite web|url=https://extra.ie/2017/11/12/entertainment/movies-tv/tv3-restaurant-star-tom-doorley|accessdate=23 April 2020|title=TV3 replace Restaurant star Tom Doorley with Cork cook Rachel Allen}}

File:Rachel Allen, Darina Allen, Rory O'Connell at MAD Symposium.jpg about "Passing on Skills" in 2014]]

Rachel grew up in Foxrock, a suburb of Dublin, Ireland. Her Icelandic mother, Hallfríður Reichenfeld, was in the fashion business and had clothes shops. Her father, Brian O'Neill, had inherited the Winstanley shoe manufacturing business. Rachel and older sister, Simone attended Alexandra College in Milltown, Dublin, which she attended from age three to 17. It was a three-month course at Ballymaloe that sparked her passion for food.{{cite web|url=https://www.image.ie/life/lust-life-queen-irish-cuisine-rachel-allen-55622|accessdate=22 April 2020|title=LIFE Lust For Life: Queen Of Irish Cuisine Rachel Allen}} It was while attending Ballymaloe Cookery School and learning from Myrtle Allen, Rachel started dating Myrtle's grandson, Isaac, when they were both aged 18. They married in 1998.{{cite news|url=https://www.irishtimes.com/life-and-style/people/first-encounters-rachel-and-isaac-allen-1.1452998|accessdate=22 April 2020|title=First Encounters: Rachel and Isaac Allen|newspaper=The Irish Times }} The wedding took place at Cloyne Cathedral. The reception was at Ballymaloe House and they honeymooned in New York.{{cite web|url=https://extra.ie/2018/09/09/entertainment/celebrity/how-in-just-24-hours-tv-chef-rachel-allens-perfect-life-lay-shattered|accessdate=22 April 2020|title=How in just 24 hours TV chef Rachel Allen's perfect life lay shattered}}

After graduating from the school she cooked at the Ballymaloe House Hotel, eventually returning to teach at the school. It was when an RTE producer enrolled in a cookery course at the school asked Rachel if she would like to do a TV show.

Allen lives at a seaside home in Shanagarry, County Cork with her husband Isaac, the son of television chef Darina Allen, and their three children, Joshua, Scarlett and racing driver Lucca.{{cite web |url=http://www.cookingisfun.ie/vpages/lecturers/rachelallen.html |title=Rachel Allen at Ballymaloe Cookery School |publisher=Ballymaloe Cookery School |accessdate=27 September 2010}}{{cite news |url=https://www.irishtimes.com/news/crime-and-law/courts/circuit-court/joshua-allen-enters-addiction-treatment-until-sentencing-hearing-1.4099409 |title=Joshua Allen enters addiction treatment until sentencing hearing |date=29 November 2019 |first=Olivia |last=Kelleher |work=Irish Times |accessdate=8 January 2020}}

In July 2012, she received an Honorary Doctorate in Science from the University of Ulster at Belfast's Waterfront Hall for her contribution to the culinary arts. Her mother-in-law, Darina Allen, received an honorary doctorate from the same university in 2003.{{cite web|url=https://frontrowspeakers.com/speakers/rachel-allen/|accessdate=22 April 2020|title=Rachel Allen – Celebrity Chef, TV Presenter & Writer}}

• Rachel's Favourite Food {{ISBN|978-0717138982}}
• Rachel's Favourite Food for Friends {{ISBN|978-0717139996}}
• Bake {{ISBN|978-0007259700}}
• Rachel's Favourite Food at Home {{ISBN|978-0007275793}}
• Rachel's Food for Living {{ISBN|978-0007288229}}
• Home Cooking {{ISBN|978-0007259717}}
• Entertaining at Home Hardcover {{ISBN|978-0007462377}}
• Easy Meals {{ISBN|978-0007309047}}
• Cake {{ISBN|978-0007309054}}
• Rachel's Irish Family Food {{ISBN|978-0007237623}}
• Rachel's Everyday Kitchen {{ISBN|978-0007462377}}
• All Things Sweet Hardcover {{ISBN|978-0007462407}}
• Coast: Recipes from Ireland’s Wild Atlantic Way {{ISBN|978-0007462438}}
• Recipes from My Mother Hardcover {{ISBN|978-0008179793}}
• Home Baking Hardcover {{ISBN|978-0008179823}}
• Soup Broth Bread {{ISBN|978-0241486290}}

{{Reflist}}

• [https://www.rachelallen.com/ Official website]
• [http://goodfood.uktv.co.uk/people/rachel-allen/ Rachel Allen Recipes] on Good Food Channel
• {{IMDb name|2437094}}
• [https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b006v5y2 BBC's Saturday Kitchen]
• [http://www.createtv.com/CreateProgram.nsf/vHosts/Rachel%20Allen Biography] at Create (TV network)

{{authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Allen, Rachel}}

Category:1971 births

Category:20th-century Irish women writers

Category:21st-century Irish women writers

Category:Living people

Category:Irish people of Icelandic descent

Category:People educated at Alexandra College

Category:RTÉ television presenters

Category:Sunday Tribune people

Category:Irish women chefs

Category:Irish television chefs

Category:Irish women food writers

Category:People from Foxrock

Category:Broadcasters from County Dublin

Category:Broadcasters from County Cork

Category:Irish cookbook writers