English food writer and television presenter (born 1935)
Mary Berry
|
---|
|
Born
| Mary Rosa Alleyne Berry
(
1935-03-24
)
24 March 1935
(age 89)
|
---|
Other names
| Mary, Queen of Cakes
[1]
|
---|
Education
| |
---|
Occupations
|
- Food writer
- chef
- baker
- television presenter
- author
|
---|
Television
|
- The Great British Bake Off
(2010?2016)
- The Mary Berry Story
(2013)
- Mary Berry Cooks
(2014)
- Mary Berry's Absolute Favourites
(2015)
- Mary Berry's Foolproof Cooking
(2016)
- Mary Berry Everyday
(2017)
- Classic Mary Berry
(2018)
- Britain's Best Home Cook
(2018?present)
- Mary Berry's Quick Cooking
(2019)
- A Berry Royal Christmas
(2019)
- Mary Berry's Simple Comforts
(2020)
|
---|
Spouse
|
Paul Hunnings
(
m.
1966)
|
---|
Children
| 3
|
---|
|
Website
| maryberry
.co
.uk
|
---|
Dame Mary Rosa Alleyne Hunnings
[3]
DBE
(
nee
Berry
; born 24 March 1935) is an English food writer, chef, baker and television presenter. After being encouraged in
domestic science
classes at school, she studied catering at college. She then moved to France at the age of 22 to study at
Le Cordon Bleu
culinary school, before working in a number of cooking-related jobs.
Berry has published more than 75 cookery books, including her best-selling
Baking Bible
in 2009. Her first book was
The Hamlyn All Colour Cookbook
in 1970. She hosted several television series for the
BBC
and
Thames Television
. Berry is an occasional contributor to
Woman's Hour
and
Saturday Kitchen
. She was a judge on the television programme
The Great British Bake Off
until 2016.
Early life
[
edit
]
Berry was born on 24 March 1935, the second of three children, to Margaret (‘Marjorie’,
nee
Wilson; 1905?2011) and Alleyne William Steward Berry (1904?1989). Alleyne was a chartered surveyor and planner who served as
Mayor of Bath
in 1952 and was closely involved in establishing the
University of Bath
at
Claverton Down
. Mary's great-great-grandfather on her father's side, Robert Houghton, was a master baker in the 1860s who provided bread for a local
workhouse
in Norwich.
[4]
Her mother died in 2011, aged 105.
[5]
At the age of 13, Berry contracted
polio
and had to spend three months in the
Claverton Down
Isolation Hospital
. Her illness resulted in her having a twisted spine, a weaker left hand and thinner left arm. She has said that the period of forced separation from her family while in the hospital "toughened [her] up" and taught her to make the most of every opportunity she would have.
[6]
[7]
Berry attended
Bath High School
, where she described her academic abilities as "hopeless" until she attended
domestic science
classes with a teacher called Miss Date, who was particularly encouraging of her cooking abilities.
[1]
Her first creation in the class was a
treacle sponge pudding
which she took home, and her father told her that it was as good as her mother's.
[1]
She then studied catering at
Bath College of Domestic Science
.
[1]
Career
[
edit
]
Berry's first job was at the Bath
Electricity Board
showroom and then conducting home visits to show new customers how to use their electric ovens. She would typically demonstrate the ovens by making a
Victoria sponge
, a technique she would later repeat when in television studios to test out an oven she had not used before.
[1]
Her catchment area for demonstrations was limited to the greater
Bath
area, which she drove around in a
Ford Popular
supplied as a
company car
.
[1]
Her ambition was to move out of the family home to London, which her parents would not allow until she was 21. At the age of 22, she applied to work at the Dutch Dairy Bureau, while taking
City & Guilds
courses in the evenings.
[1]
She then persuaded her manager to pay for her to undertake the professional qualification from the French
Le Cordon Bleu
school.
[8]
She left the Dutch Dairy Bureau to become a recipe tester for PR firm Benson's, where she began to write her first book. She has since cooked for a range of food-related bodies, including the Egg Council and the Flour Advisory Board. In 1966 she became food editor of
Housewife
magazine. She was food editor of
Ideal Home
magazine from 1970 to 1973.
[9]
Her first cookbook,
The Hamlyn All Colour Cookbook
, was published in 1970.
[10]
She launched her own product range in 1994 with her daughter Annabel. The salad dressings and sauces were originally only sold at Mary's AGA cooking school, but have since been sold in Britain, Germany and Ireland with retailers such as
Harrods
,
Fortnum & Mason
and
Tesco
.
[11]
In December 2012, Berry became the first president of the new
Bath Spa University
Alumni Association.
[12]
She has also appeared on a
BBC Two
series called
The Great British Food Revival
, and her solo show,
Mary Berry Cooks
, began airing on 3 March 2014.
[13]
In her own kitchen, she uses a
KitchenAid
mixer which she describes as being the one gadget she could not live without.
[14]
She has always had an
AGA cooker
,
[15]
and used to run cooking courses for AGA users.
[16]
She describes
Raymond Blanc
's restaurant
Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons
as one of her favourites as well as the Old Queen's Head, local to where she lives in
Penn
,
High Wycombe
.
[14]
In February 2015, Berry featured in a programme in aid of the
Third World
charity
Comic Relief
.
[17]
In May 2015, she began presenting a new
BBC Two
series called
Mary Berry's Absolute Favourites
. In November 2015, she was the subject of a two-part biographical documentary entitled
The Mary Berry Story
.
[18]
Starting on 30 November 2015, she was one of the two judges for a four-week American edition of the popular baking competition
The Great Holiday Baking Show
on
ABC
, which followed a similar format to the British competition.
[19]
Berry became President of the
National Garden Scheme
in 2016; for over 20 years, she had opened her garden for charity.
[20]
In November 2016, it was announced that Berry would present a new six-part series,
Mary Berry Everyday
in which she would share her cooking tips, family favourites and special occasion recipes. The show aired on BBC Two.
[21]
In April 2017, Berry launched a series of cakes that could be bought from supermarkets. The cakes contain emulsifiers and preservatives that Berry has previously described as "unwanted extras".
[22]
From 22 November 2017 to 13 December 2017, Berry presented a 4-part series called
Mary Berry's Country House Secrets
on
BBC One
. In this series, she ventured to four of the UK's stately homes and explored each through the prism of food and history. The locations were
Highclere Castle
,
Scone Palace
,
Powderham Castle
and
Goodwood House
.
[23]
[24]
In 2018, Berry was a judge on
Britain's Best Home Cook
alongside chef Dan Doherty and
Chris Bavin
.
Berry's new six-part television cookery series called
Mary Berry's Simple Comforts
premiered on
BBC2
, 9 September 2020.
[25]
Mary Berry Saves Christmas
, a
BBC1
special in which Berry helps a group of amateur cooks make a Christmas feast for their families, was shown on
Christmas Day
2020.
[26]
In 2021, Berry was a celebrity judge on the
BBC
series
Celebrity Best Home Cook
alongside
Angela Hartnett
and
Chris Bavin
; while
Claudia Winkleman
was the show's presenter.
[27]
In December 2021, Berry presented
Mary Berry's Festive Feasts
, a
BBC
TV special in which she teaches three novice cooks to create a Christmas feast.
[28]
In 2022, Berry was named as one of the judges for the
Platinum Pudding
, a competition to create a British pudding to celebrate the
Platinum Jubilee of Queen Elizabeth II
.
[29]
In March 2022
BBC One
aired the three-part series
Mary Berry's Fantastic Feasts
.
[30]
In May 2022, Berry was a judge on the BBC One programme
The Jubilee Pudding: 70 Years in the Baking
, where she helped chose a brand new pudding to mark the
Queen’s
Platinum Jubilee.
[31]
In June 2022, the
BBC
commissioned the
BBC Two
series
Mary Berry Cook And Share
; which premiered on 7 September 2022.
[32]
[33]
In September 2022, the
BBC
commissioned
Mary Berry’s Ultimate Christmas
, a
Christmas
special that Berry presented.
[34]
[35]
During November and December 2023, Berry presented
Mary Makes It Easy
; a six-part series that aired on
BBC Two
.
[36]
In December 2023,
BBC One
aired
Mary Berry's Highland Christmas
; a festive cookery special presented by Berry.
[37]
The Great British Bake Off
[
edit
]
From 2010 to 2016, she was one of the judges on
BBC One
's (formerly,
BBC Two
's)
The Great British Bake Off
alongside baker
Paul Hollywood
, who specialises in bread. Berry says that since working together, she has learned from him. However, some viewers were outraged during the first series when a decision was made to make the contestants use one of Hollywood's recipes for
scones
instead of one of Berry's.
[1]
Her work on the show with Hollywood led to
The Guardian
'
s suggesting that it was the "best reality TV judging partnership ever."
[38]
In September 2016,
Love Productions
announced that a three-year deal to broadcast the show on
Channel 4
instead of the BBC from 2017 had been agreed.
[39]
Co-hosts
Mel Giedroyc
and
Sue Perkins
announced that they would not be continuing with
Bake Off
on its new network.
[40]
Berry announced she was also leaving
Bake Off
[41]
on the same day that fellow judge Paul Hollywood announced he would be staying with the show.
[42]
She was replaced on the show by
Prue Leith
.
The Platinum Pudding Competition
[
edit
]
In January 2022, it was announced that Berry would chair and sit as a judge on
The Platinum Pudding Competition
, a nationwide baking competition launched throughout the United Kingdom on 10 January 2022 by
Buckingham Palace
,
Fortnum & Mason
and The Big Jubilee Lunch to find a brand new pudding dedicated to
Queen Elizabeth II
as part of the official Platinum Jubilee celebrations in 2022 marking the
70th anniversary
of the accession of
Queen Elizabeth II
on 6 February 1952.
[43]
[44]
[45]
Personal life
[
edit
]
Berry married Paul John March Hunnings in 1966.
[46]
He worked for
Harvey's of Bristol
and sold antique books and is now retired. The couple had two sons and a daughter; in 1989 one of their sons died aged 19, in a car accident.
[47]
Berry is a patron of Child Bereavement UK.
[48]
In 2011 Berry's mother Marjorie died aged 105.
[49]
In March 2013 Berry was placed second in a list of the fifty best-dressed over 50s by
The Guardian
.
[50]
In September 2014, Berry was the subject of an episode of the BBC genealogy series
Who Do You Think You Are?
and discovered among her ancestors illegitimacy, bankruptcy and a baker.
[51]
In 2018 Berry and her husband moved to
Henley-on-Thames
,
Oxfordshire
.
[52]
The couple previously lived in
Penn, Buckinghamshire
for more than 40 years.
[53]
Berry is a member of the
Church of England
and has worshipped at Holy Trinity Church in Penn since 1989.
[54]
Her mother, who died in 2011, had also been an active church member. Berry is a supporter of
Everton F.C.
[55]
As part of the
BBC2
programme
Mary Berry's Easter Feast
at Easter 2016, Berry visited
Bishopthorpe Palace
, the
official residence
of the
Archbishop of York
, who is the second most senior cleric in the Church of England, and filmed a special "Cooking with the Archbishop" segment.
[56]
Publications
[
edit
]
Berry has written more than 70 cookery books since her first book was published in 1970,
[57]
and has sold over five million cookery books.
[10]
She regularly works on her cookery books with Lucy Young, who has been her assistant for over 20 years.
[58]
Her best-selling
Baking Bible
was rated one of the ten best baking books by
The Independent
.
[59]
Since September 2014, Berry's recipes have also been packaged in an interactive mobile app called "Mary Berry: In Mary We Trust".
[60]
Her autobiography,
Recipe for Life
, was published in 2013 by Michael Joseph.
Honours and awards
[
edit
]
In June 2009, Berry was awarded the Guild of Food Writers Lifetime Achievement Award.
[61]
Berry was appointed
Commander of the Order of the British Empire
(CBE) in the 2012 Birthday Honours for services to culinary arts.
[62]
[63]
In 2012, she was awarded an honorary degree by
Bath Spa University
which incorporates the former
Bath College of Domestic Science
.
[64]
On 7 June 2014, Berry was awarded the
Freedom of the City
of
Bath
;
[65]
[66]
and, having already received the
Freedom of the City of London
, on 19 November 2014, she was made a
liveryman
of the
Worshipful Company of Bakers
.
[67]
She was awarded the
Specsavers National Book Awards
"Outstanding Achievement" prize in December 2014.
[68]
On 25 January 2017, Berry won the award for Best TV Judge at the
National Television Awards
for
Great British Bake Off.
[69]
Berry was appointed
Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire
(DBE) in the
2020 Birthday Honours
for services to broadcasting, the culinary arts and charity.
[70]
[71]
She received the honour on 20 October 2021 at
Windsor Castle
.
[72]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
a
b
c
d
e
f
g
h
Pownall, Elfreda (11 September 2011).
"Mary Berry: queen of cakes"
.
The Daily Telegraph
. London.
Archived
from the original on 12 January 2022
. Retrieved
31 March
2012
.
- ^
"Mary Berry"
.
Desert Island Discs
. 29 July 2012.
BBC Radio 4
. Retrieved
18 January
2014
.
- ^
"Persons with significant control"
. Companies House, Government of the United Kingdom
. Retrieved
20 October
2021
.
- ^
"Mary Berry - Who Do You Think You Are - A long line of determined business people that had tremendous energy and drive..."
www.thegenealogist.co.uk
. Retrieved
30 March
2024
.
- ^
McGrath, Nick (3 November 2012).
"Mary Berry: My family values"
.
The Guardian
.
ISSN
0261-3077
. Retrieved
30 March
2024
.
- ^
"Mary Berry: 'I couldn't understand why mum wouldn't give me a cuddle'
"
.
The Telegraph
. 27 August 2013.
- ^
Francesca Rice (5 August 2014).
"Mary Berry: 11 things you probably didn't know about her"
.
Marie Claire UK
.
- ^
Hyslop, Leah (24 August 2016).
"The Great British Bake Off: 12 things you didn't know about Mary Berry"
.
The Telegraph
– via www.telegraph.co.uk.
- ^
"Mary Berry"
. UKTV Food. Archived from
the original
on 2 September 2015
. Retrieved
31 March
2012
.
- ^
a
b
"Mary Berry"
. Quadrille Publishing
. Retrieved
31 March
2012
.
- ^
"Mary Berry's Salad Dressings & Sauces"
. Mary Berry.co.uk. Archived from
the original
on 26 January 2013
. Retrieved
31 March
2012
.
- ^
"Mary Berry President of new Bath Spa University Alumni Association"
.
Press Release
. Bath Spa University. Archived from
the original
on 12 December 2013
. Retrieved
6 December
2013
.
- ^
"Mary Berry's new series attracts 3.2m"
.
Digital Spy
. 5 March 2014
. Retrieved
30 March
2024
.
- ^
a
b
Montgomery, Hugh (14 August 2011).
"Mary Berry: 'I freeze leftover wine so I can add it to gravy and cheer it up'
"
.
The Independent
. London
. Retrieved
31 March
2012
.
- ^
James, Laura.
"Mary Berry"
. Aga
. Retrieved
6 June
2017
.
- ^
"Aga Workshops"
. Mary Berry.co.uk. Archived from
the original
on 2 January 2013
. Retrieved
31 March
2012
.
- ^
Plunkett, John (12 February 2015).
"Mary Berry's Great Comic Relief Bake Off cooks up 6 million viewers"
.
The Guardian
. Retrieved
11 November
2016
.
- ^
"The Mary Berry Story ? BBC Two"
. BBC
. Retrieved
11 November
2016
.
- ^
Moylan, Brian (30 November 2015).
"The Great Holiday Baking Show: US tries and fails to copy UK super smash"
.
The Guardian
. Retrieved
18 November
2016
.
- ^
"Honorary Officers"
.
National Garden Scheme
. Retrieved
25 August
2020
.
- ^
"Mary Berry lands another BBC show"
.
BBC News
. 14 November 2016
. Retrieved
15 November
2016
.
- ^
Singh, Anita (7 April 2017).
"Mary Berry dabbles in the dark arts of the shop-bought sponge"
.
The Telegraph
.
Archived
from the original on 12 January 2022
. Retrieved
5 November
2017
.
- ^
"BBC One ? Mary Berry's Country House Secrets"
. BBC
. Retrieved
12 February
2019
.
- ^
Ward, Rachel (22 November 2017).
"Mary Berry's Country House Secrets was a taste of the high life from the doyenne of dough: review"
.
The Telegraph
.
Archived
from the original on 12 January 2022
. Retrieved
12 February
2019
.
- ^
"Mary Berry's Simple Comforts"
. Retrieved
30 August
2020
.
- ^
"Mary Berry set to 'Save Christmas' with new show and cooking tips"
. cornwalllife.co.uk. 11 November 2020
. Retrieved
24 November
2020
.
- ^
"BBC One announces contestants taking part in Celebrity Best Home Cook"
.
bbc.co.uk
. Retrieved
15 January
2021
.
- ^
"Mary Berry's Festive Feasts"
.
bbc.co.uk
. Retrieved
3 December
2021
.
- ^
"The Platinum Pudding competition"
. HM Government. January 2022
. Retrieved
11 January
2022
.
- ^
"Mary Berry's Fantastic Feasts"
.
bbc.co.uk
. Retrieved
27 February
2022
.
- ^
"The Jubilee Pudding: 70 Years in the Baking"
.
bbc.co.uk
. Retrieved
11 May
2022
.
- ^
"Dame Mary Berry in brand new BBC series on sharing food"
.
bbc.co.uk/mediacentre
. Retrieved
22 June
2022
.
- ^
"*NEW* TV SERIES STARTS TODAY, 7TH SEPTEMBER - MARY BERRY COOK AND SHARE"
.
maryberry.co.uk
. Retrieved
26 September
2022
.
- ^
"BBC One and PBS celebrate Dame Merry Berry's ultimate Christmas"
.
bbc.co.uk/mediacentre
. Retrieved
26 September
2022
.
- ^
"Get ready for the festive season with Mary Berry's Ultimate Christmas"
.
bbc.co.uk/mediacentre
. Retrieved
3 November
2022
.
- ^
"Mary Makes It Easy"
.
bbc.co.uk
. Retrieved
5 December
2023
.
- ^
"Mary Berry serves up Scottish Highland Christmas memories with Andy Murray, Emeli Sande and Iain Stirling"
.
bbc.co.uk/mediacentre
. Retrieved
5 December
2023
.
- ^
Heritage, Stuart (7 September 2011).
"Mary Berry and Paul Hollywood: the best reality TV judges ever?"
.
The Guardian
. London
. Retrieved
31 March
2012
.
- ^
Foster, Patrick (12 September 2016).
"BBC loses Great British Bake Off, as Channel 4 swoops for corporation's biggest show"
.
The Daily Telegraph
. Retrieved
12 September
2016
.
- ^
"Great British Bake Off: Mel and Sue to quit as hosts"
.
BBC News
. 13 September 2016
. Retrieved
13 September
2016
.
- ^
"Mary Berry to leave Bake Off ahead of Channel 4 move"
.
BBC News
. 22 September 2016
. Retrieved
22 September
2016
.
- ^
Martinson, Jane (22 September 2016).
"Mary Berry to leave Bake Off ? but Paul Hollywood agrees to stay"
.
The Guardian
. Retrieved
23 September
2016
.
- ^
"The Platinum Pudding Competition | A Recipe Fit for The Queen"
.
www.fortnumandmason.com
. Retrieved
27 January
2022
.
- ^
Emma.Goodey (1 June 2021).
"Plans announced for The Queen's Platinum Jubilee Central Weekend 2022"
.
The Royal Family
. Retrieved
27 January
2022
.
- ^
"The Queen's Platinum Jubilee 2022"
.
The Queen's Platinum Jubilee 2022
. Retrieved
27 January
2022
.
- ^
"15 things you didn't know about GBBO's Mary Berry"
.
Cosmopolitan
. 22 September 2016.
- ^
"Mary Berry opens up to Piers Morgan about the car crash that killed"
.
The Independent
. 9 January 2014
. Retrieved
11 November
2016
.
- ^
"Child Bereavement UK :: Patrons"
. childbereavementuk.org. October 2016
. Retrieved
25 January
2018
.
- ^
"Our favourite Mary Berry recipes, plus more about the queen of baking"
. 14 September 2023.
- ^
Cartner-Morley, Jess; Mirren, Helen; Huffington, Arianna; Amos, Valerie (28 March 2013).
"The 50 best-dressed over 50s"
.
The Guardian
. London.
- ^
"BBC One ? Who Do You Think You Are?, Series 11, Mary Berry"
. BBC
. Retrieved
13 September
2014
.
- ^
"My beautiful new home town"
.
www.henleystandard.co.uk
. Retrieved
14 April
2023
.
- ^
Magnus, Emma (7 November 2023).
"Mary Berry's former Buckinghamshire home on sale for £3.5 million"
.
Evening Standard
. Retrieved
18 November
2023
.
- ^
Berry, Mary (2013).
"UK Favourite Churches"
. Archived from
the original
on 21 July 2013.
- ^
"Mary Berry reveals Merseyside team she supports - while tucking into a pie"
. 3 February 2016.
- ^
"BBC Two - Mary Berry's Easter Feast, Episode 2, Cooking with the Archbishop of York"
.
BBC
. 22 March 2016
. Retrieved
30 March
2024
.
- ^
"Mary Berry recipes"
.
BBC Food
. Retrieved
30 March
2024
.
- ^
"Cook up a feast"
.
The Press and Journal
. 18 December 2010. Archived from
the original
on 15 December 2013
. Retrieved
31 March
2012
.
- ^
Bailey, Pippa (17 April 2014).
"10 best baking books"
.
The Independent
. Retrieved
6 February
2016
.
- ^
"Mary Berry: In Mary We Trust"
. App Shopper
. Retrieved
8 October
2015
.
- ^
"Mary Berry"
. Retrieved
30 August
2020
.
- ^
"No. 60173"
.
The London Gazette
(Supplement). 16 June 2012. p. 7.
- ^
"Mary Berry receives CBE"
.
The Guardian
. London. 16 June 2012.
- ^
"Bath Spa University announces honorary degrees for 2012"
. Bath Spa University. Archived from
the original
on 5 July 2012
. Retrieved
20 July
2012
.
- ^
Prideaux, Siobhan.
"Bath choir prepares twist on classic song for Mary Berry's visit to the city"
.
The Bath Chronicle
. Archived from
the original
on 22 May 2014
. Retrieved
22 May
2014
.
- ^
"BBC News ? Mary Berry awarded freedom of Bath during Abbey ceremony"
.
BBC News
. 7 June 2014
. Retrieved
9 June
2014
.
- ^
Kidd, Patrick (20 November 2014).
"The Times Diary (TMS): Challenge for smart women, Hames household divided, Kasabian's gig rider and Dylan's five line epic"
.
The Times
. p. 11.
ISSN
0140-0460
. Retrieved
27 February
2020
.
(subscription required)
- ^
Flood, Alison (27 November 2014).
"David Nicholls and David Walliams win top prizes at National Book Awards"
.
The Guardian
. Retrieved
14 March
2015
.
- ^
Griffiths, Elanor (25 January 2017).
"Mary Berry wins Best TV Judge at the National Television Awards"
.
Radio Times
. Retrieved
12 May
2017
.
- ^
"No. 63135"
.
The London Gazette
(Supplement). 10 October 2020. p. B8.
- ^
"Birthday Honours 2020: Marcus Rashford and Joe Wicks honoured alongside key workers"
.
BBC News
. 10 October 2020
. Retrieved
20 October
2021
.
- ^
Jones, Tony (20 October 2021).
"Mary Berry made Dame Commander by Prince Charles for a lifetime of cooking, writing and baking"
.
Evening Standard
. Retrieved
20 October
2021
.
External links
[
edit
]
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Mary Berry
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