Mary Berry is “immensely proud” of her Damehood.
Mary Berry
The 85-year-old star received the title in the Queen’s Birthday Honours in October and she admitted it was a “really special” moment for her to be recognised for services to broadcasting and the culinary arts because she just loves being able to help teach people how to cook.
She told You magazine: “I’m immensely proud. I only had one O-level – well, you could divide that into cooking and dressmaking – so it’s really special for me.
“My parents and my brothers, who are no longer here, would have been chuffed to bits to see me receive it.
“My aim is to make people enjoy cooking as much as I do, and to pass on the skill in a very simple way that I’ve learnt. I love the thought of people cooking at home, and me holding their hand while they do it.”
The television star – who doesn’t use the title professionally – can next be seen fronting BBC1’s ‘Mary Berry Saves Christmas’, in which she gives video instructions to three novice cooks on how to make a festive feast, assisted by Angela Scanlon, Jay Blades and Tom Allen, and she was proud of the skills the beginners were able to master.
She said: “It is joyful and fun. I wanted to put my teaching hat on to give them something that they would really enjoy and learn a skill from.
“Our three novices put their heart and soul into it. They hadn’t done any cooking other than opening cans or heating up takeaways.
“The elves – Jay, who was wonderful, and won the hearts of all of us, Angela, who was a lovely chatterbox and Tom, who was so funny – were there to hold their hands and give them confidence as they went.
“Wait till you see how our non-cooks manage, with proper instruction, to make really good results for their family and friends.”
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