JR Ryall at Fortnum's
JR Ryall at Fortnum's
GO BEHIND THE PAGES OF JR RYALL'S BRAND NEW BOOK AND LEARN MORE ABOUT HIS STORY
"Collaborating with Fortnum & Mason is a dream," says JR Ryall, head pastry chef at Ballymaloe House in County Cork, Ireland. "I’m very excited for people to experience a taste of Ballymaloe Desserts at the iconic Piccadilly store in London.” And as it happens, the feeling is mutual, as we're very excited to be working with him, too.
In fact, we were so excited that we invited him to take over our Patisserie Counter. So if you're as hungry as we are, why not pay a visit to our Patisserie Counter on the Ground Floor at Piccadilly and take home some of his incredible creations.
But who is the man behind the desserts? Well, we wanted to learn more about this celebrated sweet tooth and his experience with and his passion for food. That's just the food lover in us.
A Bit About JR...
JR Ryall is the head pastry chef at Ballymaloe House in County Cork, Ireland, and Ballymaloe House has been widely heralded as the birthplace of modern Irish cuisine. He has been working there since the age of fifteen, and in 2010 took the reins to oversee their dessert menu. Each year, he travels for two months in search of new culinary ideas around the world. He must have encountered a Fortnum's hamper or two on those travels, no doubt. He has also staged at The River Cafe, Ottolenghi, Chez Panisse, and Tartine Bakery, among other esteemed restaurants. In 2019, JR accepted the Trolley of the Year award at the World Restaurant Awards in Paris, and in 2022 he received Pastry Chef of The Year at the Food and Wine Awards.
"I have always felt a connection to Ballymaloe," says JR. "For as long as I can remember, I knew about the place, its story and its ethos." It was there that he met one of his idols, Darina Allen, who even gave him a copy of her book Simply Delicious with a personalised note inside. For the next ten years, he practiced baking everything his mother would allow him to. His grand-aunt even encouraged him too, and they spent hours in the kitchen together trying any recipes he could find.
However, JR's first foray into a professional kitchen didn't go... quite to plan. "At the end of service, just before I left, I slipped on the kitchen’s tiled floor. As I fell backwards, I accidentally flung the tray of salad leaves I had been carrying across the kitchen. It made quite a clatter and so did I. The leaves scattered everywhere and everyone stopped for a moment when they heard me fall. This was not how I envisioned my first day in a professional kitchen ending."
Over the years, JR worked in many kitchens, before landing his role at Ballymaloe House and, fortunately for us, taking over our patisserie counter.
A Peek Behind the Pages
In his book Ballymaloe Desserts, JR Ryall fills every page with delicious recipes that showcase the sweet splendour of Ballymaloe's menus. 130 recipes, in fact, which have been tested and perfected for the home baker. The recipes inside are both inspiring yet accessible in equal measure, and range from all sorts to delight every tastebud, from retro Ice Cream Bombs to the showstopping Irish Coffee Meringue Gâteau and a Classic Strawberry Shortcake reimagined with a geometric design.
What stands out in the book is JR's commitment to seasonality and fresh, local ingredients. And there's no shortage of handy tips and tricks for the aspiring baker, providing readers with revealing the best method for whisking egg whites and many, many more.