About
Mary-Rosa Alleyne Berry, CBE (born 24 March 1935) is an English food writer and television presenter. After being encouraged in domestic science classes whilst at school, she went to college to study catering. She then moved to France at the age of 21 to study at Le Cordon Bleu school, before working in a number of cooking related jobs. She has published more than 70 cookery books (her first being The Hamlyn All Colour Cookbook in 1970) and hosted several television series for the BBC and Thames Television. Mary continues to write books alongside Lucy Young, her assistant of over twenty years.
Training
Mary Berry trained at The Cordon Bleu in Paris and Bath School of Home Economics.
Television
Her first television series Afternoon Plus with Judith Chalmers came out in the early '70s and was a big hit with a lot of British mothers. Three children later she continued through the '80s writing books and filming television series for BBC from her home in Buckinghamshire.
She started the '90s by launching her Aga Workshops, a cookery school at home, with over twelve thousand visitors over sixteen years. In the mid '90s her daughter Annabel launched Mary Berry's Salad Dressing.
Since the millenium Mary has continued to do demonstrations, write books and do media work. Most noteably she is a judge on The Great British Bake Off, The Junior Bake Off, Comic Relief Bake off and Sports Relief Bake Off which has taken the country by storm.
Mary often appears as a guest on many programmes including The One Show, Food and Drink Programme, Graham Norton Show, Loose Women, Alan Titchmarsh Show, BBC Breakfast, Chris Evans Breakfast Show, Womans Hour. In 2014 Mary's own BBC programme, Mary Berry Cooks, is aired.
Awards
In 2012 Mary had the honour of receiving a CBE.
2013 Given Freedom of the City of Bath 2012 Honorary Degree Bath Spa University 2009 Lifetime Achievement Award from Guild of Food Writers