Irish food and spirits are taking centre stage in India this week as Darina Allen joins Bord Bia and Taj Hotels for a landmark culinary collaboration. The programme will introduce Indian diners to Ireland’s quality ingredients, traditional cooking and drinks craftsmanship through a series of showcase dinners.
The initiative forms part of Bord Bia’s global Spirit of Ireland programme and will connect Darina Allen and chef Gary Masterson with Taj culinary teams in Mumbai, New Delhi and Bengaluru. Together, they will create an Irish-inspired menu featuring carefully selected food and spirit pairings.
Irish food takes the spotlight at Taj Hotels
The collaboration begins at the Taj Mahal Palace in Mumbai before moving to New Delhi on October 30 and Bengaluru on November 1. At each event, Darina Allen will speak with guests about Irish ingredients, provenance and the food traditions that have shaped the country’s modern culinary identity.
Working directly with Taj chefs, the team will oversee the full dining experience, from ingredient selection and preparation to presentation and service. The menu will reflect Allen’s longstanding emphasis on seasonality, traceability and practical cooking skills, while giving guests an accessible introduction to Irish cuisine.
Each dinner will include six pairings featuring Irish whiskey, cream liqueur and gin. The drinks are intended to complement the dishes while highlighting the wider story of Irish production, hospitality and craftsmanship. Following each dinner, participating Taj hotels will host week-long promotions for the featured Irish spirits.
A meeting of two distinctive food cultures
For Darina Allen, the visit is an opportunity to share Ireland’s ingredient-led approach while learning from India’s rich culinary traditions. Ireland’s reputation for high-quality dairy, beef, seafood, grains and seasonal produce provides a strong foundation for the menu, while Indian hospitality offers an exciting setting for presenting those flavours to a new audience.
The programme also demonstrates how Irish food can travel successfully beyond the country’s traditional export markets. Rather than presenting Irish cooking as a fixed collection of recipes, the dinners will focus on the stories behind the ingredients and the people who produce them.
Bord Bia targets India’s premium hospitality market
Bord Bia says the partnership will help Irish producers build relationships across Taj’s culinary, food and beverage networks. India is an increasingly important market for Irish whiskey, and Bord Bia has highlighted annual growth of approximately 60% for the category.
The organisation hopes the events will encourage greater consumer interest and create future opportunities for Irish whiskey and spirits listings across the Taj hotel group. The week-long promotions will give guests additional chances to explore the drinks after the showcase dinners have concluded.
For anyone following food news Ireland, the project is a notable example of Irish producers, chefs and trade bodies working together to promote the country’s food identity internationally. It also reinforces the value of provenance, responsible production and hospitality in telling the story of food Ireland.
Read more
Discover more stories about Irish food, hospitality and food news Ireland, including updates for readers looking for an Irish food guide and Ireland food recommendations.
Explore more
Explore wider lifestyle coverage and culinary inspiration through food and restaurant stories from Ireland and premium dining and drinks features.
Article/Image Courtesy: Hospitality Ireland
Key takeaway: Darina Allen’s Taj Hotels collaboration gives Indian diners a taste of Ireland’s ingredient-led cooking while creating new international opportunities for Irish food and spirits producers.