Mary Berry

by A. S. Dagnell

  It was in this context that Mary was to make another, unexpected, career move … into the world of authoring cookbooks. This was to become the most significant moment in Mary’s professional life to date – and one that would change the course of the rest of her adult life. As her reputation as a cookery journalist continued to grow, her name became well known among publishers. One publishing house, Hamlyn, was looking for their next big cookery writer, and Mary seemed like the perfect choice. She was unrivalled as one of the most-read and well-respected cookery journalists thanks to her time on both Housewife and Ideal Home. And so she seemed like the obvious choice to Hamlyn, to write what they wanted to be their definitive guide to easy-to-prepare, home-made recipes.

  Mary admits she was delighted by the offer. To this day the book is ‘one of her favourites’, she said in an interview. It was quick to write, not least because Mary had many of the recipes to hand, having built them up over the years. The title, the publishers decided, would be simple, to be in keeping with the straightforward nature of the dishes. It would be called The Hamlyn All Colour Cook Book. And when Mary was handed her first copy, she admits that it was a significant moment for her. In an interview with the Scotsman she describes the publication of the book in 1970 as a ‘turning point’ in her life. No one could have anticipated the huge impact it would have. The book was hugely popular, and quickly found itself into homes up and down the country. In hardback it sold a staggering 1.5 million copies, and many more in paperback.

  Its success came down to a few key factors. Mary’s dishes, such as Dundee cake, duck à l’orange and black forest gateau, were very of the moment – perfect 1970s fare that all families could enjoy, without breaking the bank. The ingredients were all widely available in supermarkets or from the local grocer’s. On a practical note, the layout of the book was also hugely appealing. There was a colour photograph for every recipe, something of a revolution in the early 1970s, when black and white snaps were still the norm. These photos made the book easy to navigate and allowed the cook using it to have something to aim for – the finished product was printed right there for them to see. If you got the dish right, you knew straight away.

  The timelessness of Mary’s first book has become apparent in recent years. Over the decades, it has been republished, updated and has had several editions. As Becky Sheaves wrote in the Western Morning News in 2010, the dishes now have a ‘wonderfully retro-chic feel to them’. Indeed, some of the ingredients are rarely used, such as aspic – a gelatin made from meat stock – or consommé. Others have had to be modernised, like a lasagne that would need to be boiled for 10 minutes before being dished up. But regardless, cookery enthusiasts are still unwavering in their support for Mary’s first book. One, Kathy Brown, wrote on online bookshop Amazon about the nostalgic effect of flicking through the book and how the recipes are still as relevant today as they were in the 1970s: ‘We’ve had a copy of this in our house since I was a little girl in the 1970s. Mum was a keen cook and often made dishes from this book for dinner parties. I used to love leafing through the sections and looking at the lovely photographs. Eventually all of the members of our close family had a copy and so we’d turn up at each other’s houses and recognise the dishes on the table. My grandmother, mother and aunts and uncles had a copy, and when mum and dad separated, Dad took the copy with him! I inherited my nan’s copy when she died, and now my daughters cook from it. I will buy them each their own copy when they leave home. Favourites include Chilled Lemon Flan and Crunchy-topped Fish Pie. The recipes and ingredients are pretty retro (who makes syllabub these days?) and the measures are all imperial, but instructions are easy to follow and adapt, and even if your efforts don’t turn out as spectacular as the ones in the photos, you’ll quickly find family-favourite recipes of your own.’

  The book’s success turned Mary from a mere cookery editor into a best-selling author at the age of just 35. If ever she had needed a way to disprove her schoolteachers, then writing a best-selling cookery book was it! Mary couldn’t believe her luck. She had always turned to cookbooks as she was growing up and discovering her love of cookery, especially while she was studying in Bath and Paris. In fact, there was one in particular that she would often use. ‘My most-thumbed cookbook is Rosemary Hume’s Cordon Bleu Cookery,’ Mary told the BBC. ‘When I first started out, having just qualified, that was my reference book; it’s quite long-winded but it gave the correct method.’

  But never could Mary have imagined in her wildest dreams that she herself would be penning a cookbook one day. And while Mary may have been surprised to be offered a book deal at first, given her self-confessed reluctance to engage at school, publishers were about to start clambering all over each other to sign her up to do other books. She quickly became one of the most celebrated cookery writers in Britain. Often described as a ‘pioneer’, she built her success on combining large sales figures with being published frequently – on more than one occasion she released two books in the space of a year. To date she has published more than 70 books, selling in excess of 5 million copies. And it seemed there was also demand for Mary’s recipes abroad. Some of her books were translated into other languages, making her a star away from the UK as well. Two were translated into French – Délicieux desserts and La vraie pâtisserie toute simple – and sold well throughout France. Meanwhile, Mary also had her recipes translated into Spanish. Guia Básica De Las Tecnicas Culinarias was released in 1998.

  The range of books Mary has written is almost as impressive as the numbers they’ve sold. She provided quick and easy recipes for people leading busy lives in Real Fast Food and Day by Day Cooking. Her love of baking and cake making is a constant theme in her oeuvre – including in My Kitchen Table: 100 Cakes and Bakes, Fast Desserts and Glorious Puds. Others were written to tie in with her TV series, while some were more left-field. Food as Presents was, as the title suggests, an interesting take on combining cooking with gift giving for Christmas, birthdays and anniversaries. And though her output became prolific, Mary always made sure that the books were written to the highest possible standard and would constantly check over the recipes before the books went to press, poring over the proofs to make sure they were perfect and nothing was wrong. ‘I’ve developed something of an obsession with accuracy and detail,’ she admitted in an interview with the Scotsman. Later, she teamed up with her long-time assistant Lucy Young. Young regularly helped her with the research and writing of the books, particularly as Mary’s schedule became increasingly busy. Years later they went on to co-author some cookery books together, and Lucy wrote her own collection, which sold just as well as Mary’s.

  Meanwhile, Mary’s journalism career was going from strength to strength, as cookery editors rushed to sign her up to write regular columns for their publications. She would later contribute recipes regularly to the Daily Telegraph newspaper and the Daily Mail website which, like most things Mary writes, became especially popular because of the way she often peppered the recipes with anecdotes and advice, in the conversational tone she had used since her first recipes for Housewife. For example, in her Chocolate and Vanilla Marble Loaf recipe she said: ‘This loaf cake looks spectacular and is lovely for a special occasion.’ And while writing about her Devonshire scones recipe she added: ‘The secret to good scones is not to handle them too much before baking, and to make the mixture on the wet, sticky side.’ The beauty of Mary’s recipes, it seems, comes down to her presence in them. Mary’s love of cooking never seemed far from her written work.

  Aside from national newspapers, Mary embraced the chance to write for more niche magazines over the years, too. Practicality has always been paramount for Mary in her approach to cooking, and just as she blazed a trail for new cooking technology when employed by Bath Electricity Board, she has long been an advocate of the benefits of freezing. She’s often seen as the first high-profile cook to espouse the joys of freezing food, while others were turning their noses up at the practice. As a result, Mary gave regular
tips and advice about freezing in Freezer Monthly magazine, and even wrote one of her first books on the theme – Popular Freezer Cookery. Years later, in 1985, Mary published the Iceland Guide to Cooking from Your Freezer, in conjunction with the popular high-street supermarket, a deal she doubtless secured as ‘Brand Mary’ became increasingly well known as a reliable and authoritative voice in the world of cooking. Mary’s mantra in her books was always the same – from The Hamlyn All Colour Cook Book to the recipe books that were released off the back of the Great British Bake Off: keep it simple. The beauty of her recipes, it seems, is that they are straightforward and don’t over-complicate the sometimes tricky process of cooking. Not only does Mary try to keep the process user-friendly, but she constantly strives to keep the ingredients she uses in her recipe books as unpretentious as possible. It’s doubtless one of the reasons they have become so successful over the years. ‘I think that nowadays we’re in danger of making cooking and entertaining too complicated, which makes it stressful,’ Mary said in an interview with the Scotsman. ‘I always use food in season and, before I decide what to cook, I have a look in my garden to see what’s growing and then plan my meal around that. For wholesome, enjoyable food there’s no need for a huge list of ingredients, so my store cupboard has remarkably few herbs and spices.’

  Her prolific output when it comes to her cookery books has been a lesson in itself for Mary. She is in the unique position of having written books in five separate decades. It gives her a level of insight that few other cookery writers today enjoy. With more than 60 years of experience in cookery, she says there’s one clear thing that has changed during this period. She told the World of Books blog: ‘I think it’s the ingredients – they are more readily available, and basic ingredients are more prepared. In the 1960s chicken breasts did not exist – you had to buy a chicken, cut it in four and use the breasts, legs, wings and drumsticks.’ Mary also admits that attitudes to health and diet have affected the kinds of recipes that she uses in her cookbooks these days. ‘We use less fat nowadays, too, less sugar and non-stick pans,’ she told the website. ‘The choice of dairy has changed too, with crème fraîche, mascarpone and lots of different creams available, which means icings for cakes do not always need to be the same.’ As with The Hamlyn All Colour Cook Book, Mary’s books have often had to be revised because of these changing trends over the years. Her Complete Cookbook was re-released years later as Mary Berry’s Complete Cookbook, with an extra 30 new recipes, including some customised for dinner parties that took on board changes in tastes and the availability of ingredients and kitchen utensils. Coming up with new ideas for answering that age-old question of ‘what’s for dinner tonight, Mum?’ has become part of Mary’s day-to-day job. ‘Luckily we get new ingredients all the time, and they become popular and fashionable: fennel, red chard, new salad leaves,’ she told the website. ‘I am now revisiting classic recipes from the 1970s. My assistants Lucy and Lucinda are young, and give me new ideas like bowl food, risottos, wraps …’

  Her dedication to her cookery-book writing and her constant desire to be original resulted in Mary being voted into the top three of the most trusted cookery writers, alongside Jamie Oliver and Delia Smith. ‘That was a huge accolade, I must admit,’ she told the Western Morning News, in her typically modest fashion. Mary is someone whose recipes can be relied on time and time again, and so the award was perhaps expected by those who have followed her career. However, over the years, she has received a seemingly endless stream of letters from fans of her books who, nevertheless, can’t quite seem to get the hang of her recipes. Never one to put the boot in, Mary is diplomatic in the way she handles such criticism. ‘I get emails from people saying I tried such and such a recipe and my cake went down in the middle,’ she told the Daily Telegraph. ‘They never think it might be them, or their oven.’

  Her popularity as an author means that Mary often travels the country to take part in book signings, and on these days it’s not unusual for queues to be seen snaking around the book section at large, prestigious department stores such as Selfridges in London. Writing books, it seems, has become a passion for Mary, not just a career – it’s something she cherishes and is as thankful for as she is all the other work that she does. Spending time with her fans and talking to them seems an enjoyable process for Mary, rather than a chore. She hopes that in years to come, cookery enthusiasts will still be thumbing through her recipe books, even as the popularity of devices such as the iPad and Kindle and other e-book readers increases. ‘I love the touch of a book and the passing through the family generations, and [even] recycling them,’ she told the World of Books website. ‘Hopefully there is a place for both books and e-books in the future.’

  But the irony of becoming such a well-respected author is not lost on Mary. As a young girl, she could never have imagined this outcome, when she struggled so much with her English studies while at school. So when it comes to her recipe for success, Mary has joked in the past – in a typically self-deprecating manner – that she couldn’t do it without the help of a good editor. Asked by Kirsty Young about the seeming disparity between her failure to make the grade at English in her school cert, and the fact that she would later publish so many books, Mary quipped: ‘The spelling is pretty bad.’

  But as well as her huge collection of books, there was another way in which Mary was able to teach the public the joys of cookery and baking. As Mary became the doyenne of British baking, her loyal fans didn’t just want to read her books – they wanted to see her whipping up her recipes and extolling her advice in person. Her numerous TV appearances were one way of allowing this to happen. But in between, when Mary’s series have been off air, there has been an alternative way in which her legions of followers could see her – at the scores of cookery demonstrations she still performs at a vast number of venues across the UK. Often they are for small groups of people or as part of a charity fundraiser. On other occasions they have been part of a big food festival. Usually these demonstrations involve Mary producing a handful of her best-loved recipes for the eager onlookers. Sometimes the audience can get involved in the baking process themselves and follow along with Mary as she cooks. A tasting session may be part of the event, as well as the opportunity to pick Mary’s brain for advice and help in the kitchen during the course of a question and answer session. At the demonstrations Mary’s always happy to sign copies of her books for her fans too, and is often besieged at the end by attendees desperate for a signature. At one point Mary was carrying out a staggering 30 demonstrations a year – more than one every fortnight. These have seen her travel the length and breadth of the country. As they became more frequent, Mary’s PA Lucy would often have to help with the organizational side of things, and would regularly get involved with assisting during the demonstrations, too. As far as Mary’s concerned, the cooking demonstrations have been a great way of adding variety to her working life. ‘It’s so nice to have a job where one day I might be doing a demonstration, another I’m at home writing recipes and another I’m teaching,’ she said in one interview. ‘It’s such good fun.’

  The biggest cookery demonstration that Mary attends regularly was the BBC Good Food Show. Now held four times a year, in London, Glasgow and at Birmingham’s NEC, it’s the UK’s biggest food show. A spin-off show was also held at the Bluewater shopping centre in Kent in April 2012, so popular have they become over the decades. Showcasing a huge variety of different culinary delights, the shows often see more than 40 chefs, celebrities and food experts descend on the conference centre for the five-day-long show. In total there are often more than 200 demonstrations during the course of the exhibition. Mary has attended the show for years, demonstrating a huge range of her favourite recipes. And after she had been a regular for decades, in 2012, for the first time, the Good Food Show included a Great British Bake Off stage. This was a testament to how big the show had become after its third series, which saw ratings reach a 6.5 million peak as Bake Off fever gripped th
e nation. Not only were Mary and her co-judge Paul Hollywood featured on the stage, but so too were other familiar faces from the show, carrying out a string of demonstrations for visitors looking for exciting baking recipes for the festive season. The winner of series three, John Whaite, made his first live debut after being crowned in first place. Alongside John Whaite was Joanne Wheatley, who had triumphed in the second series of the show. She kept the crowds entertained with some of her own recipes from the cookbook she released in the aftermath of winning the show. The Great British Bake Off stage also welcomed the renowned cake sculpturist Connie Viney, who had also delighted fans of the show. Other stages at the Good Food Show featured other popular cookery programmes, such as MasterChef and Saturday Kitchen Live.

  But for Mary, having carried out demonstrations to small groups of people over the years, the fact that she now had her own stage off the back of one of her programmes, at such a highly reputed show, demonstrated just how far her career had come. Mary says that while she loves carrying out these demonstrations, she isn’t a fan of taking her work home with her. She admits she often gets a little put out if friends or family insist on her performing private demonstrations in her own kitchen. ‘I love doing workshop demonstrations,’ Mary said in an interview with the Daily Telegraph. ‘But I hate it when friends and family hover over me and say, “Let’s see how you’re meant to make gravy.” I feel as though I’m being judged, so I usually ask them to leave me to it.’ And while her friends and family may have to go without learning directly from Mary, millions of others continue to do so. With her many cookbooks, and tickets to her cookery demonstrations selling like hot cakes even to this day, Mary has been able to impart her incredible wealth of baking knowledge to a huge number of people. And with more books and demonstrations in the pipeline, that looks set to carry on for the foreseeable future.