MY STYLE STORY
The doyenne of home cooking tells Sophie Hannam about her go-to colours and collection of antique books
Mary Berry shares her most treasured possessions, her favourite colour scheme, plus what she loves about her kitchen
The rst piece of furniture I ever bought was a small, light-mahogany dining table for £30 from Bath Market in 1960. I restored it myself and we still use it to this day. The oldest thing in my home – apart from its owners – is a cookery book dating from 1660. The newest piece of furniture
we own is a dining room table that we had made by Guild Anderson Furniture Ltd. It’s beautiful – round in shape with pedestal legs in a lovely light oak. It seats eight people as we love to entertain. I prefer a round table as I feel it’s naturally more sociable. At the top of my wishlist is an AGA cooker. It’s at the heart of the home and is so warm and cosy. I’m always cold, so leaning against an AGA is the place for thoughts and warmth. My most treasured possession is my diamond engagement ring, which was made from two antique earrings that belonged to my mother-in-law. My home in one word? Classic. My husband, Paul, is a retired antiquarian bookseller and art dealer, so we have a lot of artworks and books, along with inherited furniture. Paul loves dark wood. The kitchen, however, is my domain and it’s more modern with traditional styling and design. I’m currently collecting antique mugs, si!ing hens, glass… You name it, I collect it! On a free day you’ll nd me in the garden, picking "owers or hoeing – weather permi!ing! The artistic skill I wish I had is to be able to paint pictures, rather than just walls. At the moment I’m reading Down to Earth by Monty Don. I have a huge so# spot for him as I’m a passionate gardener and love anyone with great knowledge whom I can learn from. I like to listen to BBC Radio 4’s Woman’s Hour and Chris Evans and Graham Norton on BBC Radio 2. The colour scheme in my home is grey and pale aquamarine. These are currently my favourite shades as they are so muted and gentle. My kitchen is special because it’s light, warm and de$nitely a working room. I also choose to write at my kitchen table rather than in the o%ce. Classic by Mary Berry (BBC Books, £26) is on sale now.