Ballymaloe had €44,000 loss last year, down from €111,000 in 2010

THE COMPANY behind Ballymaloe House, the country house hotel and restaurant run by the Allen family, incurred a loss of €43,945 last year, down from just over €111,000 the previous year.

The company had retained profits of €2.3 million at year end.

Abridged accounts for Yeats Room Limited, trading as Ballymaloe House, for the year to October 31st, 2011, state that the overall reduction in the economy in Ireland resulted in the company incurring an operating loss during the 2011 financial year.

The directors’ report also refers to the “the challenging operating environment experienced during the year ended October 31st, 2010”.

However, the company predicts that it can generate “a satisfactory outcome” in 2012.

Ballymaloe House is located in Shanagarry, near Midleton in Co Cork.

Originally a restaurant, which was opened by Myrtle Allen in the early 1960s, it subsequently expanded into a country house hotel. Parts of the building date from the 15th century.

A cafe and shop, which sells Irish designer goods, kitchenware and food products, also operate at the site.

The company is controlled by members of the Allen family.