We chat with Rory O’Connell, the chef and co-founder of Ballymaloe Cookery School.

Kempt has always been rooted in understated style. From the beginning, we were drawn more to timeless, low-key dressing than to passing trends or oversized logos — and truthfully, we knew chasing fashion cycles wasn’t a game a small independent brand could win.

One person who always embodied that effortless refinement to us was Rory O’Connell, the chef and co-founder of Ballymaloe Cookery School, alongside his sister Darina Allen. Whether teaching in the school or hosting a tv show from his own kitchen, Rory carried a kind of quiet polish that felt deeply aligned with what Kempt stood for.

In the early days of the brand, we took a chance and asked Rory if he’d wear one of our shirts. To our delight, he kindly agreed — and even wrote to tell us how much he enjoyed it. That encouragement meant a great deal to us at a time when we were still figuring things out.

Since then, Rory has become a customer of Kempt, and when we recently asked if he would sit down with us for a conversation, he graciously said yes.

Chatting with Rory O’Connell was exactly as I’d hoped — relaxed, thoughtful, and full of conversation about food, travel, style and a life lived well. But for Rory, living well has nothing to do with excess. At Ballymaloe, simplicity and quality come first; if produce isn’t in season, it isn’t on the menu.

That same philosophy carries through to his style. Rory spoke about his mother, an impeccably dressed woman who valued beautiful fabrics above all else, even on a limited budget sought the skills of a local dressmaker. Quality, longevity and understated elegance clearly left a lasting impression.

He also has a wonderful eye for colour, (as we speak, he is wearing a beautiful orange crewneck sweater), often adding it subtly through knitwear, scarves or other small details. Some of his favourite pieces have been collected over decades of travel; scarves, of which he has many, with some that, as he humorously puts it, "cost the price of a small farm". They are special pieces that last a long time and gather memories of where and when they were bought and subsequently worn.

Brands, Rory admits, are not something he pays much attention to these days, following a brief phase many years ago when he convinced himself he should wear only Prada. But he does believe in investing in pieces that will last - he mentioned a much loved forty year old Barbour that remains in his wardrobe. He is no stranger to popping into a local independent store, and the trousers he wore on the day of the shoot are a much loved pair of classic Gap chinos purchased some 20 odd years ago.

What matters more to him is simplicity and beauty. One of his most treasured possessions is a small painting of St. Patrick on a piece of cardboard — modest perhaps, but deeply meaningful to him.

On the topic of gardening, he expresses something akin to awe at the unseen force at work beneath his feet. Wandering around his garden, it's clear he is passionate about nurturing the land around him, treating it as a gift from the planet.

His advice for anyone starting out? Grow potatoes. “You can grow them in a bucket,” he told us. "Herbs in pots, too, are simple and rewarding."

He says globalisation means that pretty much everyone knows what a pomegranate is, but not many people know how to cook the perfect boiled egg.

When asked about his ideal final meal — what he jokingly referred to as an “end of the gangplank” meal — the answer was characteristically straightforward: poached wild Blackwater river salmon (Ballymaloe will only used wild salmon, never farmed), served with in-season asparagus, hollandaise sauce made from Ballymaloe eggs and butter from their own Jersey cows...likely with a few potatoes on the side.

The farm has become an integral part of the Ballymaloe offering, with courses available in 'homesteading' growing in popularity as they continue their constant pursuit of improvement. Mentioning the small fit refinements we have made to our Spring shirts, Rory reassured us that even after forty-two years, Ballymaloe is still subtly adjusting recipes.

Perfection, it seems, is always evolving.

It was only fitting to finish off the conversation by asking Rory about some of his favourite spots to eat. A tough question, but in Ireland he highly rates Chapter One in Dublin and Francis Provisions in Kinsale. Outside Ireland? True local dishes in Mexico are hard to beat and London still offers some of the best spots in Europe, mentioning places like Nobel Rot - I couldn’t agree more.

Thank you, Rory — a true gentleman and a pleasure to spend time with. His book 'The Joy of Food' is, quite simply, a book for every food lover’s home. Accompanying the recipes are Rory’s charming original illustrations and personal essays in praise of everything from hazelnuts to the humble hen.