Isaac Allen (52), husband of the celebrity chef Rachel Allen, has been declared bankrupt after telling the High Court he was not in a position to pay of an income tax bill of €484,838.
Mr Allen, who has been involved in the running of restaurants and acting as a manager for his wife and others, said in his statement of affairs that he had an income of €2,831 and no assets of significant value other than a half interest in a field at Shanagarry, Co Cork, where his share had a value of €112,500.
Other assets listed include a 2007 Audi car with a value of €5,500 and cash in the bank of €500. The couple sold their home some years ago. Mr Allen gives his address in his filings to the High Court as Shanagarry, Co Cork.
He is a member of the family behind the famous Ballymaloe Cookery School. He and his wife are equal shareholders in a company called Lehcar Ltd, which has not filed financial returns since 2018 and is currently listed for being struck off. The shareholding is given a value of nil in the court filings.
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The Revenue Commissioners are the only creditor listed in Mr Allen’s statement of affairs.
In his petition to the High Court to be adjudged as bankrupt, Mr Allen described himself as a manger and said he made reasonable efforts to come to an arrangement with his creditors in relation to his debts and met personal insolvency practitioner John O’Callaghan, of South Mall, Cork.
However, Mr O’Callaghan advised him that a debt settlement arrangement would not be appropriate given his income and advised that he should petition for bankruptcy. The petition has now been approved.
Mr Allen’s assets come under the control of the Official Assignee who may seek to use the assets to part compensate the Revenue. Usually people emerge from bankruptcy after one year.
Another member of the well-known Allen family, Fern Allen, and her husband Eoin Little, got into financial difficulties some years ago and entered into personal insolvency arrangements.
Rachel Allen is a well-known chef who appears regularly on RTÉ, has a column with the Sunday Independent and has in the past been involved in the running of restaurants.
She met her husband, Isaac, while training as a chef in Ballymaloe in Co Cork, and the couple have three children, including Joshua, who was jailed some years ago for possession of cocaine, and Lucca, who is a professional racing car driver.
Isaac Allen is the son of Darina Allen, who is a chef, food writer and the founder of the Ballymaloe Cookery School.
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