Euro-Toques Ireland Celebrates 40 Years of Championing Irish Food, Producers and Culinary Heritage at Ballymaloe House Hotel
Four decades after Myrtle Allen helped establish the Irish chapter of Euro-Toques, chefs and producers return to Ballymaloe to celebrate the organisation’s enduring legacy and look to the future of Irish food
On 10 August 2026 Euro-Toques Ireland marked its 40th anniversary with a special gathering of chefs, producers and food advocates at Ballymaloe House Hotel, the place where the story of Euro-Toques Ireland began four decades ago. The anniversary celebration brought together members of the Euro-Toques community across generations to reflect on 40 years of protecting Irish culinary heritage, championing artisan producers, supporting young chefs and strengthening the relationship between the people who grow, make, catch and cook Ireland’s food.
There could be no more fitting setting for the occasion than Ballymaloe House. It was here that the late Myrtle Allen, one of the most influential figures in the development of modern Irish food, joined forces with a group of leading European chefs to establish the Irish chapter of Euro-Toques.
Founded in 1986 by six pioneering chefs
Euro-Toques Europe was founded in 1986 by six pioneering chefs: Pierre Romeyer of Belgium, Myrtle Allen of Ireland, Gualtiero Marchesi of Italy, Juan Mari Arzak of Spain, Paul Bocuse of France and Cas Spijker of the Netherlands. Each founder established a national branch, bringing together chefs committed to preserving traditional culinary methods, supporting exceptional regional producers and promoting high standards of culinary excellence.
Forty years later, those founding principles remain at the heart of Euro-Toques Ireland. Today, the organisation continues to promote a culture of high-value culinary practice, with a particular focus on skill, quality, creativity, provenance and the importance of connecting chefs with the producers behind the ingredients they use.
The anniversary day
The anniversary day began at Ballymaloe Cookery School, where members were led on a guided tour led by world renowned chef member Darina Allen. Guests explored the organic gardens, farm and growing areas, offering an opportunity to reconnect with the land and the principles of seasonality and provenance that have been central to the Ballymaloe story for generations.
The gathering then moved to Ballymaloe House for a welcome reception featuring seasonal Irish canapés and drinks. Designed by Executive Chef Dervilla O’Flynn and Head Pastry Chef JR Ryall, the lunch included a selection of hors d’oeuvres, followed by a seasonal buffet, a scrumptious selection of sweets from the famous Ballymaloe dessert trolley, and anniversary cake.
The afternoon continued with other experiences including The story of Ballymaloe with Fern Allen and a guided tour of the walled garden with JR Ryall. The day also provided an opportunity to remember Myrtle Allen’s extraordinary contribution to Irish food and the founding principles of Euro-Toques Ireland.
Myrtle, Queen of Cooks
Displayed on the walls of the restaurant at Ballymaloe House is a plaque presented to Myrtle by the Euro-Toques Ireland community in 1993. The inscription pays tribute to her as “the guiding light of a new dawn in Irish cooking”, recognising her contribution as a cook, restaurateur, teacher and writer, and her tireless commitment to the protection and promotion of Irish food. The tribute concludes: “The protection and promotion of Irish food has had no more able champion. Your idealism has the determined support of a keen intellect, a loving curiosity, good humour and above all, integrity. Myrtle, Queen of Cooks, long may you reign.” More than three decades later, the words remain a fitting reflection of the values that continue to shape Euro-Toques Ireland.
Speaking at the anniversary celebration, Euro-Toques Ireland Chair Conor Halpenny said that returning to Ballymaloe offered an important opportunity to reconnect with the organisation’s purpose.
“Creating a connection between what we do and the reason why we do it is important, and Ballymaloe embodies precisely that. It is a place that inspires people to dream big. I was delighted to see the older and newer generations come together, and I am proud of what Euro-Toques has created: a table where we can all sit together – chefs and producers – and exchange ideas. It is so important to protect that relationship and to learn from each other, so that ultimately we put produce on the plate that is not only available to us, but is also indicative of who we are.”
Upcoming RTÉ documentary
The anniversary celebration will also form part of an upcoming RTÉ documentary, produced in collaboration with Another Avenue, which will explore the history, people and legacy of Euro-Toques Ireland. The documentary will tell the story of how Euro-Toques Ireland helped shape Ireland’s food culture over four decades, while exploring the people and values that continue to drive the organisation today.
