The big interview
Dame Mary Berry talks to Nathalie Whittle about Christmas and the things that really matter to her now
MARY WEARS: DRESS, BADGLEY MISCHKA AT THE OUTNET. SHOES, SOLE BLISS. JEWELLERY, MARY’S OWN. WRAPPING PAPER, NANCY & BETTY. RIBBON, HOBBYCRAFT. GOLD CONSOLE TABLE, ATKIN AND THYME. GOLD TRAY; VASE; STAR, ALL OLIVER BONAS. GOLD GLASS TREE ORNAMENT, DUNELM. SHEEPSKIN RUG, THE WHITE COMPANY. PARQUET FLOORING, TAPI
There are few people we trust more in the kitchen than Dame Mary Berry. So, when we heard that she was releasing a new cookbook and TV series designed to make our lives easier, we had to find out more.
As she excitedly shows us an early copy of the book, Mary Makes It Easy, on the GH cover shoot, it’s clear that, at 88, she’s as excited about her work as ever. ‘It’s all to do with whether you feel you still have things in you – and I certainly do,’ she says when the subject of retirement comes up.
Mary, who lives in Henleyon-Thames with her husband, Paul, shares her secrets to a joyful Christmas.
Congratulations on your new book and TV series, Mary! How does it feel to still be in such demand at 88?
I feel very lucky that I’m still able to do it all. To me, the four-letter word ‘work’ means pleasure. It’s what I love and when I get up in the morning, a lot of the time I’m thinking, ‘What’s next?’
You’ve been a real trailblazer, empowering people to take control in the kitchen – what does that mean to you?
If I’ve inspired people in any way, I’m really proud. Very often, someone will come up to me in the supermarket and say, ‘I didn’t enjoy cooking until I was given your cookery book. I did exactly what you said – and it really does work!’ That gives me the greatest pleasure ever.
And now you’re on a mission to make things easier in the kitchen…
Yes, it’s so easy to overcomplicate things, particularly at Christmas. The key is to keep your ingredients simple, and each recipe in the book has a photo to guide. But also, not to be ashamed of buying things that make cooking easier, whether it’s Panko breadcrumbs or pre-rolled puff pastry. Who cares if you didn’t make it all from scratch!
You’ve said your biggest triumph has been becoming a Dame. What did that mean to you?
I was in absolute shock. I thought, ‘Gosh, a cook becoming a Dame?’ I couldn’t quite believe it. The ceremony was at Windsor Castle and I met Prince Charles, as he was then, who was charming and couldn’t stop talking about his wife. The biggest sadness was that, at my age, you’ve lost your parents and all through your life, when you do something important, you immediately pick up the phone to call them because they’re the only ones you can really brag to. I knew they’d be looking down on me, th
