Mary Berry: TV chef “proud” to have become a lady

Television chef Mary Berry said she was “proud and honored” to be named Dame Commander for cooking, writing and pastry services.

Dame Mary was honored on Wednesday by the Prince of Wales during an investiture ceremony at Windsor Castle.

In addition to her 50-year culinary and television career, the distinction also recognizes her charitable work.

He said he would celebrate “coming home for a sandwich and the kids will come tonight.”

The 86-year-old former Bake Off judge was recently operated on after breaking her hip following a fall in the summer.

Yet she was able to attend the ceremony alongside her husband Paul Hunnings, a retired antiquarian bookseller.

Dame Mary had previously cooked alongside the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge for the TV show A Berry Royal Christmas, praising the latter for being an “amazing and enthusiastic cook”.

Speaking after her last royal engagement, she said, “I am extremely proud and honored. I just wish my parents were here – they look down and my kids are pretty excited.

“My goal is to convey the skill that I love so much, because everyone has to cook every day. Whether it’s a student or whatever it is, you have to feed yourself, so why not learn how to do it right and have fun.”

During the same ceremony, Peaky Blinders writer Steven Knight – whose latest film, Spencer, explores three days in the life of Diana, Princess of Wales – was named CBE.

Karen Gibson, founder and director of the Kingdom Choir who performed at the wedding of the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, was also awarded an MBE.

After studying cooking in France and the UK, Dame Mary worked for various food industry bodies and wrote recipe pages for Housewife magazine.

His first cookbook, The Hamlyn All Color Cookbook, was published in 1970 and he went on to write more than 50 of them, selling millions of copies worldwide.

She has become a household name for a new generation of cake lovers thanks to her role as a judge on The Great British Bake Off, alongside Paul Hollywood, Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins.

“I really enjoyed being on Bake Off, I’ve been there seven years. We were a great team Paul Hollywood, Mel and Sue – we enjoyed every minute,” she said.

In its latest upcoming BBC series, the veteran broadcaster will come to the rescue of novice cooks hoping to impress a loved one.

She revealed that she likes it when she meets people at the grocery store who say they have successfully learned how to make her lemon pie or lasagna.

In addition to cooking, Dame Mary has been involved in charitable works over the years. Her youngest son William was killed in a car accident at the age of 19, after which she became a patroness of Child Bereavement UK.

“I’ve been lucky to have a very supportive family, but there are a lot of people who aren’t in that position,” she said.

“Whether it is the brothers who remain or the husband or the wife, it is a hand to hold and to realize that other people are in the same boat”.

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