Rachel Allen finds new recipe for success

Celebrity chef Rachel Allen’s recipe for success has an eastern flavour as her main firm is projected to return to profitability this year.

According to her husband and business manager, Isaac Allen, Ms Allen has signed deals in recent months in Singapore, Kuala Lumpur, Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Istanbul, which are worth a combined €122,000. "We are presently working on another deal in Istanbul and one in Hong Kong."

Mr Allen said revenue at Ms Allen’s business rose by 40 per cent last year as the business broke even. He said the business would record a further increase in revenue this year and was projecting to return to profit in 2013.

Mr Allen declined to provide details of revenue or the level of profitability anticipated, but said yesterday: “I’m happy with how the business is performing. It is all going in the right direction.”

Mr Allen said the bottom line was hit last year through investing in “emerging markets”. “Rachel is really striking a chord in the likes of Turkey, the Middle East and southeast Asia. A lot of time, money and effort was spent last year developing those markets and that is now paying off.”

Mr Allen said the move to develop new markets came as “the UK and Irish markets are quite crowded”. About 40 per cent of the chef’s revenue is generated in the UK, with 25 per cent to 30 per cent in Ireland and the remainder in other parts of the world.

The most recent accounts for the couple's main firm, Lehcar, show that it recorded a loss of €127,107 before exceptional items in 2011.