Classic Mary Berry

About this Broadcast

Season 1, Episode 1

The food writer demonstrates a range of recipes to tempt family and friends, featuring classics, simple British dishes and modern favourites. In the first edition, Mary indulges her love of comfort food with heartwarming recipes including eggs Benedict Florentine, slow-cooked lamb shanks, and deliciously rich chocolate truffle pots, before enjoying open-fire cooking with Swedish chef Niklas Esktedt

HD subtitles 16x9

Cooking Leisure Hobbies

Cast & Crew

Mary Berry (Presenter)

David Crerar (Director)

Emma Boswell (Series producer)

Antonia Lloyd (Series producer)

Karen Ross (Executive producer)

More Information

Did You Know..

Mary Berry (Presenter)

Born: March 24, 1935 in Bath

Best Known For: The Great British Bake Off.

Early-life: Born Mary-Rosa Alleyne Berry in Bath on March 24, 1935. She has two brothers - one older, one younger. They are the offspring of Alleyne WS Berry, a surveyor who was Mayor of Bath in 1952; their mother was a housewife. At 13, Mary spent three months in hospital with polio, which affected the left side of her body. She hated school, but enjoyed domestic science lessons. She took a course at Bath College of Domestic Science which led to a job demonstrating electric cookers.

Career: Berry moved to London aged 21 and landed a job at the Dutch Dairy Bureau; she later persuaded her boss to pay for her course at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris. She went on to work for various companies, including a PR firm and magazines such as Housewife and Ideal Home. She published her first cookbook in 1970; she's since written more than 70 titles. In 1994, Berry launched her own product range with her daughter Annabel. Among the programmes she's appeared on are Good Afternoon! (1973), Cooking the Books (2007) and, of course, The Great British Bake off (2007 onwards), which introduced her to a new generation of food-lovers.

Quote: 'Follow a good recipe, weigh accurately and keep it simple if you are new to baking. Remember all ovens vary, and most of all enjoy it.'

Trivia: Berry published her autobiography, Recipe for Life, in 2013.