The first time I had brown bread from Ballymaloe Cookery School in Cork, Ireland, was at a welcome lunch for students. The menu was simple: Loaves of the bread accompanied poached Poole prawns from Ballycotton Bay, a 15-minute walk from the farm where the school sits. Darina Allen, the school’s co-founder, buzzed around the room, encouraging us to spread thick slices of the bread with mayonnaise or butter, and pile on the tiny prawns. The quiet luxury of all of it was heady, but it was the plain brown loaf — nutty, barely sweet and still warm — that felt most special.

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Persons: Darina Allen Organizations: Cookery Locations: Cork, Ireland, Ballycotton