Tracey Jeffrey

Tracey’s Farmhouse Kitchen is located in picturesque County Down in Northern Ireland, less than a one-hour drive from Belfast. Twenty-five years ago, Tracey and her husband renovated a 17th-century cottage, keeping many of the original features, including its thatched roof. Originally, the couple planned for the cottage to serve solely as their family home, but it soon became evident that it was also the perfect spot for her to welcome visitors to learn to make the traditional breads of Northern Ireland—evolving into Tracey’s Farmhouse Kitchen. Tracey’s passion for baking developed when she lived in France (she started her career teaching French) and worked in a local boulangerie. Upon returning to Northern Ireland, she became passionate about traditional Northern Irish breads: soda, potato, and wheaten. These breads are only found in Northern Ireland and are made on a griddle (an open fire). Tracey wanted to share this traditional practice of bread making as a way to safeguard Irish cultural heritage. While Tracey guides visitors through each creation, she relays the compelling history of these breads, which is inextricably linked to the story of the land and its people.