By focusing on seasonality and what was around her, she set an example,” he writes. “She championed the best-quality produce, always looking for natural flavour. Her statement was feeding people food in which she felt thoroughly confident. Working with Mrs Allen was always exciting and often unpredictable. Her approach seemed eccentric yet it always made sense. She believed in her ideas, knew her own mind and, through her life, became an expert problem solver. Myrtle had a clear vision and she shared it with everyone around her. I feel very fortunate to have learnt from her.” Like many young chefs, Ryall has staged (an unpaid internship) in some of the world’s top restaurants, taking a two-month break each year to travel, while Anne Healy and the team of pastry chefs in the kitchen take over in his absence. Spending time in Bangkok, South America, Japan, South Korea, Australia, and Mexico, it seems almost surprising that none of these influences have crept into the dishes on the dessert trolley. Instead, discovering dishes that have a true sense of place in other countries has reinforced the importance in his mind of preserving the integrity of the classic dishes he cooks in the restaurant. Meanwhile, mix the flour, caster sugar, cinnamon, baking powder and half a teaspoon of salt together. Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and whisk in the eggs and oil. Next add the grated pear and ginger, and mix well. He recalls an event they hosted at Ballymaloe where he made 20 ice cream bombes decorated with Amarena cherries and gold leaf — one for each table of 10. The guests carved up the bombes at the end of the meal, warm toffee sauce melting into the ice cream as they poured it over. As a weekend job it was great, but JR wasn’t sure the kitchen offered him the kind of career trajectory that suited him best. When he finished school, he accepted a place to study natural science at Trinity College Dublin. Those taxis to Ballymaloe would have to stop. He discussed his new life with Myrtle, Ballymaloe’s founder chef, and reached a compromise with her, whereby he would return each summer and Christmas during his degree course to cook in her kitchens. “By the time I was twenty-one, I had been working the peak season in the restaurant’s pastry kitchen for six years,” he remarks.

I have always felt a connection to Ballymaloe. For as long as I can remember I knew about the place, its story and ethos. Growing up I was a huge fan of Darina Allen (Myrtle’s daughter-in-law and founder of the Ballymaloe Cookery School). It’s a wonderful combination of how global flavours can pair — no pun intended — with something that we have ourselves, like these beautiful pear varieties,” says Ryall. In staying in Ballymaloe so long, my priority was never to try to change things or to alter them, it was to try to distil the very best of it, to hold on to it, and then around the edge I can add in the new things and try the new dishes. While there are certainly some spectacular dessert trolleys out there, such as the walking chocolate chariot inspired by Theo Jansen’s walking sculpture at El Celler de Can Roca in Spain, the desserts on the trolleys in high end restaurants are so artistic and aspirational, you could never recreate them at home. At Ballymaloe, it is all about simple classics, the desserts that remind us of childhood and family gatherings, and the puddings that are rooted in the Irish country tradition, as well as a few show-stoppers. JR’s five categories are fruit, fresh, cooked or preserved; meringue desserts; mousses, jellies, set cream for fools; frozen dishes such as ice creams, sorbets or granitas; and pastries, cakes or puddings.This sunny recipe for pears poached in saffron and cardamom originally came from actress and chef Madhur Jaffrey, who has taught several classes at the Ballymaloe Cookery School over the years. Ever since she shared the golden-hued dish, it’s been part of the pastry kitchen’s repertoire. To make the coffee buttercream, cream the butter and icing sugar together in a bowl, add the coffee essence and continue to beat until the buttercream is light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes. Then there are the nuts. “At Ballymaloe there are numerous cobnut, hazelnut and walnut trees,” he writes. “In early autumn, when the nuts are just harvested, their flesh is creamy and notably different from the dried nuts we use for the rest of the year.” large or extra-large eggs, separated (put the egg whites in a medium-size metal or glass mixing bowl)

Mix the egg yolks into the butter and sugar mixture followed by the flour. Stir in the lemon zest and juice followed by the milk. There’s quite a line-up already — confirmed speakers to date include 30-year-old Rasmus Monk, of Copenhagen’s Alchemist Restaurant, recently named as OAD’s Best Restaurant in Europe 2021, Paolo Casagrande of Barcelona’s 3 Michelin star Lasarte, Calum Franklin ‘the pie king’ who heads up the popular The Pie Room in the Holborn Dining Room in London and Søren Ørbek Ledet co-owner and sommelier of 3 Michelin-star Geranium, Denmark. Remove from the oven and allow to cool slightly for five minutes. Loosen the edges of the cake by running a knife around the inside of the pan and then turn out on to a warm serving plate. Serve warm with softly whipped cream or vanilla ice cream. If you want a tender, slightly sweet crust, a creamed butter pie crust is a good choice for sweet pies.Dissolve sugar in 1/3 cup of water over heat and continue cooking to a caramel. Remove from heat. Pour in 1 cup water and continue cooking until caramel is dissolved and smooth. Do not stir. Irish Coffee Sauce (that coffee sauce strongly laced with whiskey!)