Ballymaloe Festival of Food Podcast

In this episode of the Ballymaloe Festival of Food Podcast, we visit the Cully & Sully team at their offices in Ford’s old head office building in Cork.Cullen “Cully” Allen and Colum “Sully” O’Sullivan started their business in the early 2000s with little more than a good idea, a €100,000 loan, and a belief that honest food could find its place on supermarket shelves. What began with handmade pies soon grew into one of Ireland’s most recognisable soup brands, now selling a soup every 1.4 seconds across Ireland and the UK.In a warm and candid conversation with our hosts Bree Allen, organiser of the Ballymaloe Festival of Food (and Cully’s wife), alongside Joleen Cronin, photographer and long-time collaborator with Cully & Sully and the Ballymaloe food community, the pair reflect on friendship, naivety in business, learning finance and branding from scratch, the decision to sell the company in 2012, and the journey that followed.The episode also captures a moment of transition as Cully steps away from the company after more than two decades.Along the way they share insights for new food producers, thoughts on the future of Irish food, and the long-standing connection between their story and the Ballymaloe Festival of Food.It’s a conversation about creativity, resilience, and why sometimes the best way to start a business is simply to begin.Podcast Chapters00:00 — Welcome to Ford’s old head office in Cork 02:00 — The early days: starting a business at 27 04:30 — Pies, soup and the first €100,000 loan 07:00 — Building the Cully & Sully brand 10:00 — Creativity meets business: how the partnership worked 14:00 — Asking for advice and learning from mentors 18:00 — Building a team and company culture 22:00 — Scaling the business and outsourcing production 25:00 — Why they sold the company in 2012 30:00 — Running the business after the sale 33:00 — Cully stepping away from the company 36:00 — Advice for new food producers 41:00 — What excites them about Irish food today 46:00 — The soup question: one soup for the rest of your lifeThanks for listening to the Ballymaloe Festival of Food Podcast. You can find out more at ballymaloegrainstore.com and follow us on all platforms @ballymaloegrainstoreUntil next time, let’s keep savouring the stories. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of the Ballymaloe Festival of Food podcast, hosts Bree Allen and Joleen Cronin are joined by Barrie Quinn of Portnoo Market Garden in Donegal.Barrie is widely known for his passionate and articulate voice on soil health, regenerative agriculture, and nutrient-dense food. But as this conversation reveals, his work goes far beyond growing vegetables.From transforming a generational family farm into a thriving market garden, to building an online community of over a million people, Barrie speaks candidly about the realities of small-scale farming, the responsibility of having a public platform, and why education is the key to fixing our broken food system.He shares his powerful belief that soil is the foundation of human health, challenges the dominance of imported food in Ireland, and explains why regenerative agriculture is not a trend, but a necessity.The episode also explores:How social media became a force for good in his workWhy transparency and accuracy matter when speaking about food and chemicalsRaising €55,000 for families in need in his local communityCollaboration with Neven Maguire and the creation of an emergency community fundExpanding Portnoo Market Garden into natural soaps and sustainable home productsBringing food, farming and music together at the Ballymaloe Festival of FoodAt its heart, this is a conversation about responsibility — to the soil, to our children, and to each other.Barrie leaves us with one simple but powerful message: educate the next generation about what food really means.Thanks for listening to the Ballymaloe Festival of Food Podcast. You can find out more at ballymaloegrainstore.com and follow us on all platforms @ballymaloegrainstoreUntil next time, let’s keep savouring the stories. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In this episode of Ballymaloe Festival of Food podcast, we bring you a vibrant, emotional and wildly entertaining conversation recorded live at our 2024 event.Hosted by Matt Tebbutt, this very special session features culinary icons Rachel Allen, Clodagh McKenna, Antony Worrall Thompson and Shivi Ramoutar. From belly laughs to heartfelt reflections, the panel explores everything from their earliest food memories and kitchen mishaps, to dancing, tattoos, Caribbean comfort food, restaurant romances, and what they’d want for their very last meal.This is a joyful, unscripted celebration of food and life and the perfect introduction to what this podcast is all about: connection, creativity, and the delicious stories that bring us together.Thanks for listening to the Ballymaloe Festival of Food Podcast. You can find out more at ballymaloegrainstore.com and follow us on all platforms @ballymaloegrainstoreUntil next time, let’s keep savouring the stories. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

In the very first episode of the Ballymaloe Festival of Food Podcast, we sit down with Irish food icon Darina Allen — founder of Ballymaloe Cookery School, passionate teacher, sustainability advocate, and fierce protector of Ireland’s culinary heritage.It's a warm, honest, and deeply human conversation from how to win someone’s heart with a loaf of soda bread, to the power of simple food memories. We talk about what keeps Darina going after decades at the heart of Ballymaloe… and why she still lights up every time a student learns how to make a proper loaf of bread. As a grandmother, Darina sees food as a thread that binds generations and a way to pass on not just recipes, but a way of life. So we ask… What traditions are worth holding onto? What’s lighting her up right now? And how can we reconnect with real food in a world that’s moving too fast?This episode is full of passion, play, and purpose and it’s the perfect way to begin our journey through the stories that shape the Ballymaloe Festival of Food.Thanks for listening to the Ballymaloe Festival of Food Podcast. You can find out more at ballymaloegrainstore.com and follow us on all platforms @ballymaloegrainstoreUntil next time, let’s keep savouring the stories. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Welcome to the Ballymaloe Festival of Food Podcast — the official audio companion to one of Ireland’s most cherished food gatherings.In this short trailer, co-hosts Bree Allen (festival organiser) and Joleen Cronin introduce the podcast and share what listeners can expect from the series — from thought-provoking conversations and live panel moments to the laughter, insight and inspiration that flow so naturally at Ballymaloe.Each year, the festival brings together chefs, farmers, producers, writers and food lovers to celebrate the journey of exceptional cuisine — and this podcast captures those stories, straight from the Grainstore.📍 Recorded live at Ballymaloe House and the Grainstore 🎙️ Hosted by Bree Allen & Joleen Cronin 🌱 Featuring chefs, producers and storytellers from Ireland and beyond 🌐 Learn more at ballymaloegrainstore.com 📱 Follow @ballymaloegrainstore on all platformsPull up a chair. Let’s savour every story — together.Thanks for listening to the Ballymaloe Festival of Food Podcast. You can find out more at ballymaloegrainstore.com and follow us on all platforms @ballymaloegrainstoreUntil next time, let’s keep savouring the stories. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.