I am not quite sure what I thought Beth was going to be like before I met her but somehow she surprised me. Beth is Irish (praise be) which makes her nice to talk with and also nice to listen to. She is bright-eyed and earnest, diligent I suspect…and a bit of a comic, passionate and dedicated yet fluid and curious about how her journey will unfold. Beth grew up eating shepherd's pie, lasagne and seafood with chips (and ideally a pint of Guinness) when visiting the west coast of Ireland. Good starting point I felt.

Beth has always wanted to be a chef or a cook or do something in food, she remembers no time when that wasn’t what she wanted to do. As a child, she remembers receiving cookbooks for birthday presents which she affectionately pored over, a favourite pastime for her.  So clearly from an early age, cooking had piqued her interest. She recalls her mother's brown bread as we chat, noting the bread bin was the staple of the house and never without a freshly baked loaf in it (you’ll get to try Beth's riff on that bread next week). Beth grew up around the food icons that also heavily influenced the New Zealand culinary scene during the 90s - Jaime Oliver, Gordon Ramsey and of course, Karl’s beloved Nigella. 

Despite always being into food, Beth comes from quite an academic family so she thought she better do the thing and get a proper degree, so French and Spanish at Trinity College Dublin it was. Once she ticked that box she pivoted right back to food and attended the prestigious Ballymaloe Cooking School. Which when I googled it, it looked pretty epic. It has a focus on teaching a deep and fundamental understanding of food and how it is produced sustainably - and then what to do and cook with that food. It changed Beth’s life (and no doubt many others who have the opportunity to attend). It completely informed Beth’s culinary philosophy and she marks it as one of the best and most pivotal experiences of her life. 

Beth then moved to London to cook, as you do but just as she was getting in her groove covid hit and no restaurants could be open so she decided to pivot to baking! She ended up at the popular Pophams Bakery in east London and fell into the world of pastry. It was a new realm for Beth so she decided to stick with it for a few years. She then moved back to Cork to do a master's in food business (not a thing here I don't think but sounds pretty necessary for someone who wants to work in hospo lol). Beth then came full circle and spent a year baking at the hotel component of Ballymaloe before travelling Mexico for 6 months (Spanish degree was very worth it in this moment). 

And then like NZers flee for Australia or England, the Irish flee for Australia or New Zealand. Beth had a bunch of physiotherapist mates coming to Aotearoa (did you know that is a thing, coz that's a thing for physios). On arrival, she found Mor, where she has been ever since - not sure if you have heard of them but their shit slaps pretty hard. Beth adores the Mor gals and I think they probably adore her too. It's such a super super nice thing when you can find mates and community through your work and that's exactly what has happened for Beth at Mor. The team have even entertained marrying Beth off to one of the baristas so she can stay in the country a little longer. Alas, the govt doesn’t want her because baking isn't really a skill  is it? Any old sod can do that shit, so she’s outta here before September. RIP.

I can’t remember when exactly it happened but alongside this intercontinental food journey of Beths, she also became a published food writer and writes regularly for the Irish Times. This came about via her own personal Instagram where during lockdown she painstakingly made 9 versions (for the sake of the grid ofc) of the same thing and then reviewed the recipes and outcomes. People understandably absolutely frothed this idea and well she just kinda blew up. The highlight of Beth's professional life was ending up on the front cover of the Irish Times magazine holding a mince pie and honestly, if you haven’t made it at that point will you ever? Beth continues to write a very good Substack alongside her other writing work which you should subscribe to if you haven’t already. 

Beth isn't really into “cheffy” food. She doesn’t like gadgets or stuff that makes food feel fussy and not like food anymore. She is absolutely influenced by her time at Ballymaloe with ingredient-focused dishes that comfort and nourish the palette and the soul. Sometimes a plate of food can transport you or freeze you in the moment and bring a smile to the corners of your mouth. I think that's what Beth wants to do: she doesn't want to show you wizardry, she just wants to show you how beautiful and amazing food is, as it is.

Beth seems like someone who knows herself quite well, so I think her food will express that same attribute - she hopes to bring a taste of Ireland to Tāmaki Makaurau. We are pumped to bring you this Irish lass and her pan skills. Expect double dessert because why not?