Meet the Chef at Laois' luxury country estate Castle Durrow

Originally from Portarlington, Castle Durrow chef Graham Gallagher never thought he would be a chef: “I studied woodwork and metalwork in school, but I also did Home Economics and I really enjoyed it,” Graham told Laois Life.

“My teacher always told me I’d be a chef, and she was right in the end,” he laughed.

While a culinary career was not originally on the cards for the Laois chef, Graham was raised in a home where the oven was always warm.

“My grandmother lived with us, and she was always baking. That might be where the love comes from,” he explained.

While the chef’s love for cooking runs deep, Graham says he will always prefer to cook for others rather than for himself. “I’d much rather cooking for other people. I like to experiment with food - I always try to sneak an Asian dish onto the menu,” he laughed.

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It can be difficult to maintain a passion when it is at the root of your day-to-day tasks, yet for the Castle Durrow chef, this spark remains strong. “I definitely still have that passion - I see it especially each time we change the menu. I love trying out new things,” he said. “Over the years, chefs relied a lot on cook books and experience from previous kitchens. Now, you can gain so much inspiration through the internet,” he added.

The chef’s artistic side compliments his dishes, with a love for dishes that are beautiful as well as delicious. “I have a love for art and I do a lot of fruit carving. I taught a course in Waterford where I showed students how to carve fruit and vegetables - it comes in handy for certain dishes,” Graham said.

Having spent his career providing top dining experiences in luxury restaurants across Ireland and Germany, the chef praised Castle Durrow as one of the best. “I work with a really good team, we work like clockwork. We do a lot of weddings, so every dish has to go out at a specific time. We work well together, so there’s never too much stress!” Graham finished.