One of Ireland’s best-known culinary figures, Darina Allen, is travelling to India this week with Bord Bia for a major new collaboration with one of India’s leading hotel groups.

Darina Allen will be showcasing quality Irish food and drink to Indian consumers with the Taj Hotel group, one of India’s most recognisable and influential business groups.

The event is part of Bord Bia’s global Spirit of Ireland spirits programme.

It will see Darina Allen work directly with Taj culinary teams to create and deliver an Irish-inspired menu with spirits pairings across three of India’s major cities: Mumbai, New Delhi and Bengaluru.

The collaboration begins in Mumbai this week, where Darina Allen and chef Gary Masterson will work alongside Taj chefs on every aspect of the menu, from ingredients and preparation to tasting, presentation and service.

The menu will explore Irish ingredients, dishes and food traditions, with Darina Allen bringing her long-standing focus on seasonality, provenance, and traditional cooking skills.

Each dinner will feature six Irish spirit pairings of Irish whiskey, cream liqueur and gin, connecting the dishes with a wider story of Irish ingredients, craftsmanship and hospitality.

This will be followed by a week-long promotion of participating Irish spirits at each hotel, giving Indian consumers further opportunities to discover Ireland’s drinks offering. 

Speaking from Mumbai, Darina Allen said: “Ireland produces the most wonderful food, and so much is due to the quality of the ingredients themselves, where they originate and how they are produced.

"It’s exciting to share some of that story with guests in India, while also learning from the incredible food culture and culinary traditions here.”

India programme

The programme includes showcase dinners, at the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai, followed by New Delhi and Bengaluru.

At each dinner, Darina Allen will introduce guests to the dishes and the stories behind them, speaking about Irish ingredients, provenance and food culture.

For Bord Bia, the partnership provides an opportunity to showcase Irish food and drink within one of India’s most important premium hospitality networks.

The Spirit of Ireland programme is designed to introduce consumers to Irish spirits while building relationships with Taj’s culinary, food and beverage and customer networks.

India and Middle East Market specialist at Bord Bia, Marian O'Higgins said: “Irish food and drink has a compelling story to tell in India, particularly when people have an opportunity to experience the quality of the product for themselves.

India has emerged as one of the fastest-growing markets for Irish whiskey, achieving an annual growth rate of around 60%.

"We want these events to be an engaging introduction to Ireland for Indian consumers, while also laying the groundwork for longer-term opportunities for Irish producers, with the potential to build consumer demand and support opportunities for additional Irish whiskey and spirits listings across the hotel group.”