Irish celeb chef Rachel Allen first met her husband Isaac in Ballymaloe. Now, over two decades later history has repeated itself, with their son Lucca meeting his girlfriend there too.
Allen is undoubtedly one of the country’s most accomplished food writers and TV chefs. Away from all of the glamour of the celebrity world, she is a proud, but worried, mother.
Joshua, her eldest son is a 23-year-old who competes in MMA, while Luca, who is 20, is a race car driver.
READ MORE: Dublin Well Fest: Roz Purcell and Rachel Allen among line-up as Joe Wicks to lead workout
Speaking to RSVP Live, Rachel opened up about Luca’s relationship, telling the publication: "Isn’t that hilarious? Poor Jemima, I would hate to pressure her with that [laughs].
"She was doing the cookery course here and she’s English so they live in England now.
"She’s a little dote. She gets to come here a lot because she gets on really well with Josh and Scarlett as well. The six of us all went away together last month."
Luca jetted into Cork to join Rachel in a photoshoot, explaining that when he comes to visit there is a lovely sense of excitement.
She said: "It’s always so nice. Thankfully, he gets to come back a bit because he’s only living in England now."
However, the TV chef added that she doesn’t not worry about him less, or his career in motorsports, now that he is older.
She continued: "The worry never goes away. I’m constantly praying to Dad to take care of him. I’m a bit ridiculous.
"I tend to look to the sky when I’m talking to him and I look out for little signs."
Joshua, her eldest son, competes in MMA - which also brings a lot of worry for the chef.
"Yes! I worry a lot. I’m pathetic. There’s a lot of talking to Dad when Josh is having a fight. Actually, I like to call them competitions, not fights.
"My mum calls them competitions as well. I still haven’t been to one of Josh’s competitions because I feel like I wouldn’t be able to hold myself back.
"I would probably jump in and that wouldn’t be cool."
Rachel also learned a great deal from her father Brain, which she carried through her own life.
She said: "He was a really kind man. He always said to treat people the way you would like to be treated. I try to be half as good as he was. My mother is still here and she’s great. She’s fabulous."
Her mother is a big supporter of hers also.
Rachel said: "She loves watching The Restaurant. She’s great fun, open-minded and very wise. Mum’s very sensible as well.
"It’s just my sister and I and Mum, so we’re really close. She always manages to say things in a kind way."
Rachel has another skill in her ability to say things kindly, which can be seen on TV as well as through her various meetings with RSVP throughout the years.
She said: "We had to be kind at home. Mum and Dad were great at leading by example."
Rachel and Isaac are parents to a girl as well as two boys, and in her opinion there are differences between raising them
She said: "Scarlett is always the first one to offer to help me empty the dishwasher and clean the kitchen.
"People ask if parenting is nature or nurture, but it’s probably more about where they come in the family. I just love having them all together."
She added: "I hope that they keep coming back. We get on really well.
"Friends of ours say that the way to get them to keep coming back is to bring them on holiday.
"They’re not going to turn down a free holiday [laughs]. Hopefully, we will continue to holiday together."
Rachel is back at WellFest this year, joining other big names like Joe Wicks and Roz Purcell.
She said: "I’m really looking forward to going and isn’t it so lovely to have festivals back again?
"I really, really enjoy them because you get to see other people who are giving demonstrations and talks.
"You get to see new products and research that are out. It’s not like a day’s work, it’s always a bit of fun."
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