The baking Queen shares how she plans to celebrate the milestone birthday, the secrets to success in marriage and remembers her lost son
Baking icon Mary Berry says she plans to celebrate her 90th birthday with cake and champagne – as she shares the secrets to her long and happy life ahead of the milestone.
National treasure Mary has enjoyed a glittering career, gracing our TVs for five decades and selling more than 12 million cook books. The former Great British Bake Off host is known for loving a good party, and says she’ll be indulging in a tipple or two to mark her big birthday on Monday. “There will be cake, and Champagne!” beams BBC favourite Mary. “You know, it’s a bit hackneyed, but there’s nothing better than a Victoria sandwich… It’s an act of love, isn’t it, baking a cake? It brings people together. It’s a celebration.”
READ MORE: Mary Berry adds secret 9p ingredient to her mashed potato for ‘warming’ kick
Married to Paul Hunnings for 67 years, he gifted her a special trinket ahead of the day a bespoke eternity ring. “I never take my rings off,” admits Mary, despite her hands-on career in the kitchen. The pair have enjoyed a beautiful union – with Mary sharing the secrets to their happy marriage. “Respect,” begins Mary. “Love, of course, but respect is so important. And I don’t count the decades too closely. Also we never raise our voices at each other because, you know, we love each other. If I’m a bit miffed, I very often think, ‘Well, I’m not gonna say that right now.’ I’ll go to the greenhouse and do some cuttings.’”.
Advising people to “never go to sleep on a quarrel,” she goes on: “Happiness is very, very important, but it can be elusive sometimes. You have to look after it.”
Born in Bath in 1935, Mary’s long and healthy life got off to a tough start when she was hospitalised for three months with polio aged 13. Despite being “lucky” to have had a mild infection that mainly affected only one side of her body, one of her hands is still damaged today. “I look a bit funny when I’m rolling pastry, but I have no other difficulties whatsoever,” she previously said.
It didn’t stop Mary from forging on to a hugely successful career. She studied at Le Cordon Bleu in Paris before becoming food editor at Ideal Home magazine. She’s 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.
Hosting several television series for the BBC, most famously The Great British Bake Off with Paul Hollywood until 2016, her most recent series, Mary’s Foolproof Dinners, saw her cooking and conversing with celebs like Alan Carr, Claudia Winkleman and Sue Perkins.
Days before her 90th birthday, Mary looks a picture of a health, showing no signs of slowing down. Her genes are good, with her mother, Marjorie, living to be 105. “She didn’t go to gyms and I couldn’t agree with her more,” laughed Mary.
In a new interview with Vogue magazine to mark her 90th, Mary opens up about the immense highs and sad lows of her life. The mum-of-three spoke movingly about her son William, who died in 1989, aged 19. He lost his life in a car crash. His sister Annabel, who was a passenger, survived. Mary and Paul also have son Thomas. “It’s absolutely amazing in my 90th year to think that William died all that time ago. If he walked in that door over there, I would say: ‘Where have you been?’ It wouldn’t surprise me at all.”
She continued: “Every family has disasters,” she says stoically. “You know, a partner that dies very early, a much-loved mother, whatever it may be. And this was our tragedy. “It was a huge tragedy, but we did have two more children, you know. We always think we were fortunate to have had him for 19 years.”
Mary says William is still spoken about often by the family – particularly by her grandchildren. “[Annabel’s 16-year-old son] Hobie will come [home from school] and say: ‘I scored (playing rugby). William would have been proud, wouldn’t he?’” she smiles. “He would be proud.”
Mary is proof that the tried and tested formula is better than any. A traditionalist, she says she won’t be buying into any of the fads. Asked what she thought of whipping chickpea water into an egg-white substitute? “Stupid,” she laughs.
See the full feature in the April issue of British Vogue, available via digital download and on newsstands from Tuesday 25th March. Read the full interview here https://www.vogue.co.uk/article/mary-berry-british-vogue-interview
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