Shopping for the foodie or chef in your life?

There are only so many oven gloves you can present to someone before they suspect you’ve stopped trying to impress them. This year, if you want to wow a bon vivant, just grab a bag and head for East Cork.

Taking place across two weekends – Friday, November 19th to Sunday, November 21st and Friday, November 26th to Sunday, November 28th – the 2021 Ballymaloe Craft Fair will see the venue’s Grainstore transform into a magical covered market, with over 150 stalls showcasing and selling artisan products from Ireland’s finest food producers, artists, designers and craft brewers.

The event, which is a lovely family day out, will be open from 5pm-9pm each Friday evening, with ample opportunity to browse and buy on Saturdays and Sundays, when the Craft Fair will open from 10am to 5pm.

Heading to Cork with #thedonkey for the Ballymaloe craft fair in a few weeks,
Important to me to do it justice felt privileged to be asked tbh,
Gona do a CorkBoi SpiceBox
Scallops,scampi, Jack Mcs black pudding ,dried mango and sezchaun sauce, sriracha and beef dripping chips pic.twitter.com/gFWqLFlD3X

— Chad Byrne (@chadpbyrne) November 7, 2021

“Having had to cancel last year’s Craft Fair, and all of our other events for that matter, we are hugely excited to welcome everyone back to the Ballymaloe Craft Fair this year.” said organiser, Bree Allen.

“We have a wonderful selection of suppliers and stallholders organised and we’ve decided to run it across two weekends, in a bid to cater for as many people as is safely possible.”

Expect a wide range of goods from artisan food producers, with everything from farmhouse cheeses to smoked fish, as well as a gourmet selection of delicious Ballymaloe accompaniments that will give the perfect finishing touches to any festive feast.

The event will feature an abundance of crafty goods too,  including textiles, glassware, sculpture, art pieces, woodwork, jewellery, leather goods and of course, a plentiful supply of Christmas decorations.

Admission is €6 and those who attend the first weekend will be offered a return ticket at a discounted rate of €5 for the second weekend too, just in case you want to pop back for another day of live craft demonstrations, children’s activities, mulled wine, Ballymaloe cider, and live music.