A MARY CHRISTMAS MEANS FAMILY FIRST

As you might expect from Britain’s queen of cooking, Mary Berry (83) is all about tradition when it comes to her Christmas spread – in fact, she’s rather traditional in all areas of the kitchen!

“All these fad diets irritate me – clean food and the like. It’s really about eating a balanced diet. You are what you eat. Everyone wants smoothies, but I’d rather have the texture of vegetables and fruits. If you want to have kale and spinach made into a smoothie, you have it.

But for me, I just want a balanced diet – fruit, veg, meat and fish.”

That pragmatic attitude translates to her Christmas table, from the decorations to the menu.

“I hate fake decorations,” says the former Great British Bake Off judge. “Quite honestly, you can do absolute wonders with table decorations with a florist foam block. I always buy a Nordic pine Christmas tree because it won’t drop needles.”

A turkey takes pride of place, served with bread sauce, stuffing and gravy, as does a traditional steamed Christmas pudding – though a modern concession has been made in the form of a smoked-salmon entrée.

Christmas is very much a family affair for Mary and husband Paul Hunnings (86), who have been married for 52 years, and their surviving children and grandchildren. (Their eldest child William died in a car crash in 1989, aged 19.)

“I was brought up to believe that it’s family first,”

Mary says. “You always turn to your family and the family supports you. We do what we can to support our young, and go to see the grandchildren if they’re doing plays at school and sports events.

“Luckily, my own children and their other halves all get on well, which I know is exceedingly lucky as that doesn’t always work, but relationships don’t just happen. They’re like marriage. They have to be worked on and you do not quarrel. There are no quarrels between our families because if you quarrel, it only causes upset. It’s better that if you don’t agree, keep quiet.”