Irish visitors to this site will already be familiar with the name Ballymaloe. This tomato-based relish has been a huge favourite in Ireland for over thirty years now. More recently, Ballymaloe have been expanding their range, and these new products are proving to be huge hits too.
The rest of you might be thinking “Ballyma-what now?”, as this delicious range of condiments hasn’t really ventured outside its home country yet. But we ‘re proud to sell Ballymaloe Original Relish here at Dalriata, and we think you’re going to love it.
What is Ballymaloe Original Relish?
Ballymaloe Original Relish is a rich, tangy, chunky mixture of tomatoes, sultanas and spices. It’s the perfect accompaniment to burgers or sandwiches, and it’s also delicious with cheese or cold meats.
This particular variant is the original, chunky version, which comes in a jar so you can spoon it onto any dish you fancy. Put some in a toastie, use it as a dip for chunky chips, add it to a salad – the possibilities are endless. No doubt you have your own favourite way to use it. And if you don’t, we’re sure you will soon!
As well as this classic Ballymaloe Original Relish, we also offer the smooth version. This comes in a convenient squeezy bottle instead of a glass jar, which makes it a much more interesting alternative to ketchup.
Where does Ballymaloe Relish come from?
It all started in the 1930s, as a way to use up a glut of tomatoes from the Allen family’s greenhouses. His wife, Myrtle, came up with a recipe for a chunky relish which allowed her to preserve tomatoes to be eaten all through the year. It was a great way to bring a little colour and flavour to a wintry plate of sandwiches, cheeses or cold cuts of meat. This recipe proved a big hit with the Allen family, which, like so many in Ireland at the time, was large and ever-expanding. With so many discerning mouths to feed – and plenty of feedback from them – the recipe got honed to perfection.
Time passed, and eventually Myrtle opened her own restaurant in the nearby Ballymaloe House. This brought her family favourite relish to a new audience, and was just one of the many innovations which eventually led to her restaurant being the very first in all of Ireland to be awarded a coveted Michelin star.
The diners at the restaurant loved Ballymaloe Relish too, and it was evident that people would buy it if they could get their hands on it. And so, in 1991, in a shed in the back garden, Ballymaloe Foods was born. Just like us, they started out as a tiny, scrappy business, doing what they could with what they had. We hope one day we can be as successful as them, but in the meantime, we’ll be selling their products and hoping some of their good fortune rubs off on us!
