In early May, the home of Irish food is to host a major food and wine literary event. County Cork’s Ballymaloe House and Ballymaloe Cookery School, our award winning school for 2013, are at the centre of the happenings. The Ballymaloe LitFest of Food and Wine is the first of its kind on this scale. Between Friday 3rd May and Sunday 6th of May, a glittering array of speakers form the line up for this unique event. All facilities at Ballymaloe House, including the Grainstore, it’s Carrigaun Room, and the house’s Conservatory will form the platforms for guest speakers, panel discussions and talks. Ballymaloe Cookery School and Café  with be the LitFest Cookery Demonstration Theatre.Who can you expect to hear and see during the long weekend? Well, it’s a pretty impressive list, we must say! Internationally acclaimed ethnic food experts Madhur Jaffrey and Claudia Roden,  join Irish homespun foodies like Ballymaloe’s founder Myrtle Allen, food campaigner John McKenna, tv cook Rachel Allen, vegetarian Chef Dennis Cotter and Ballymaloe Lecturer and Chef Rory O’Connell, to name a few. A Panel discussion from various new voices in food air the culinary thoughts of the young kids on the block , including the very ‘on trend’ young chef Donal Skehan.  Respected food journalist Joanna Blythman  is among the speakers getting down to the nitty gritty in the food business, in a discussion on Digesting Unsavoury Truths. Wine topics and tastings are covered by Tom Doorley, Mary Dowey and John Wilson,  among others. It promises to be a star studded line up and a pretty exciting few days for the food world. Some events are already sold out. Click the link below to see a full programme.