The first thing that hits me at Ballymaloe isn’t a stage light or a microphone – it’s the farmyard. Gravel and soil underfoot, sheds and barns framing the horizon, the gentle chaos of a working farm holding everything together while some of the world’s finest food minds gather to cook, talk, and share- I don’t know anywhere else like it.

This festival doesn’t unfold in a polished city convention centre; it happens in the heart of the countryside, where fields, animals, and soil are as much a part of the story as any plate of food. You feel it in the air – the smoke from outdoor grills, the chatter of producers and farmers, the hum of tractors and incredible people who’ve travelled here because they care about where food really comes from.​

Cook the Books in the Farm Yard

To host the Cook the Books Stage 2025 in the middle of that farmyard is my idea of perfection. We are literally surrounded by brilliance: the land, the growers, the producers, and the spirit of Irish hospitality that has always started in places just like this.​

Meeting My 2025 Cook the Books Heroes

Last year on the Cook the Books Stage 2025, I was the MC for the fourth year & for another extraordinary lineup of chefs, writers, bakers, critics, and storytellers 

I had the joy of welcoming and hosting:

• Daniel Rankin (Man Can Cook NZ) – the high-energy, joy-filled creator who blends mouthwatering food, humour, great music, and fitness, and somehow still makes it feel like you’re just hanging out in his kitchen with Fraser the pug at your feet.​ We laughed hard, we shocked the audience and as always delicious food was created from scratch and forever memories were made.
• Graham Herterich (The Cupcake Bloke) – the king of Irish bakes with modern twists, who takes our nostalgic favourites and nudges them into something new, bold, and deeply comforting all at once.​ He spoils us with his passion and love for Irish producers and weaving as many as he can into his dishes creates storytelling that I live for.
• Amber Guinness – a Tuscan-by-heart storyteller whose Italian coastal and farmhouse cooking reminds you that the table is where art, history, and hospitality hold hands.​ Her colourful energy translates into the most colourful and utterly delicious recipes where sharing food with loved ones is where real joy is felt.
• Jay Rayner – the razor-sharp restaurant critic, broadcaster, author, and musician whose wit could slice through steel but whose love of food, craft, and culture runs incredibly deep.​ This was a HUGE bucket list moment for me and now I am an even bigger fan! His depth of knowledge was staggering to witness all while creating food with love and meaning.
• Eric Matthews – Dublin’s Michelin-starred maestro, blending global fine dining precision with an easy warmth, always championing Irish ingredients and the beauty of sheer deliciousness & simplicity on the plate.​
• Fadi Kattan – the Franco-Palestinian chef, hotelier, and author whose food carries the stories, memory, and resilience of Palestinian culture in every bite.​ His ability to educate is his superpower and as a result has become a dear dear friend of mine.
• Theo Kirwan (Sprout & Co) – salad visionary, Ballymaloe alumni, and champion of Irish soil, proving again and again that “just a salad” can be vibrant, soulful, and seriously exciting.​
• Tim Hayward – award-winning food writer, broadcaster, restaurateur, and lover of craft, whose words about knives, kitchens, and culture are as considered as a perfectly built plate.​ What a joy of food and history this man brings to a stage.
• The team behind The Kinneuchar Inn – custodians of a Scottish country inn where local, seasonal, produce-led cooking and genuine hospitality shine in every dish.​
• The beautiful crew from Izz Café in Cork – a Palestinian family whose food, story, and hospitality wrap around you like a hug, reminding us all why cafes become true community homes.​

To stand beside each of these great food minds, introduce their stories, help unpack their plans beforehand, and then support them in bringing those demos to life on stage was an honour and none of it possible without the team behind the stage- Sinead Moclair, the brilliant and talented multi award winning chef who ensured everything was to such a high standard for every chef. Her precision in prep and planning is a gift that is essential for these world class chef demonstrations to achieve world class results. She is my right arm and I am so lucky to announce that I get to work with her again at The Cook The Books Stage 2026 to support and showcase another epic lineup .

Beyond the Book: Learning from Living Legends

I adore cookbooks, and I will always be a devoted reader, but nothing compares to watching these Irish &  international, multi-award-winning chefs and authors cook in real time, just a few feet away. I get to hear the off-the-cuff stories, see the moments of instinct, watch how they move, season, taste, and adjust — all the things that never make it onto the printed page.​

When I MC, I’m not just asking questions; I’m witnessing their soul and heart land on a plate in front of an audience who can feel it too. That’s the kind of learning you can’t rewind or bookmark — and that’s exactly why I will never, ever take it for granted.​

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The Spirit of Myrtle Allen

All of this unfolds in the home of the late, great Myrtle Allen, the woman who quietly and powerfully reshaped Irish food, championed Irish producers, and opened doors for women in professional kitchens and beyond. Her influence stretches from the soil to the dining room, from farmers and growers to chefs and authors now winning Michelin stars and global recognition.​

To celebrate food in a farmyard — surrounded by fields, barns, and the rhythm of real working land — is exactly as it should be. From the soil, to the farmers, to the producers, to the chefs, and finally to the patrons who taste and appreciate it all, the journey of food at this festival is as it must be: honest, connected, and full of care.​

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A Bucket List That Keeps Growing

Each year I think, “That’s it, the bucket list can’t possibly get any better,” and then The Ballymaloe Festival of Food proves me wrong. MC’ing Cook the Books doesn’t just let me introduce these extraordinary people; it lets me stand inside their process, soak up their wisdom, and carry that back into my own work with the food businesses and communities I love to support and champion so much.​

To every chef, baker, writer, critic, and host I had the privilege of supporting on the Cook the Books Stage 2025 — thank you for trusting me with your time, your stories, and your food. What a joy it is to be part of your journey, and what a privilege it is to weave all of ours together in this very special corner of Ireland.​

As I stepped off that stage each evening and walked back across the farmyard, brushing past tractors, food stalls, groups of happy and passionate foodies, I was reminded that all of this magic starts in places exactly like this. Under the corrugated roofs, beside the barns and fields, with mud on our boots and food in our hands, the journey from soil to soul feels so perfectly harmonious here.

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See you all soon at the BFF 2026, Tracie XO

www.traciedaly.com

tracie@traciedaly.com