Death of the family dining room

BY tradition it’s the place where the family would gather to catch up, share news – and eat.

But now it seems the door to the dining room has been permanently closed – as even Mary Berry has admitted it is ‘easier’ to have meals in the kitchen.

The 82-year-old former Great British Bake Off host confessed she has ‘given up’ on her dining room and said: ‘Most of us, I think, live in the kitchen. I do – the homework of my children was done there. My husband will refit a picture in there.

‘It’s worth thinking about making it a special room that really works for you.

‘The laying of the table things have got to be near the dishwasher or the sink but also near where you’re going to eat. We’ve given up our dining room, finally. I don’t think my husband agreed.

‘We used it at Christmas time and occasionally if we’re having people round, but it’s much easier in the kitchen, isn’t it?’

The mother-of-three has recently decided to sell her six-bedroom mansion, which boasts an enormous 25 x 17 foot kitchen, as well as a 16 x 14 foot prep kitchen.

Her views are not out of step with the rest of us. Only 52 per cent of us consider a dining room a necessity, according to a recent survey of 1,000 Britons.

When asked if she thinks some like to eat in the kitchen because it’s more homely, Miss Berry said: ‘I think so but also I’m quite good at dressing the kitchen up so it looks rather special.

‘I turn the dimmer down and light the candles and my husband walks in and turns it up to see while we eat, and I walk round – it’s a bit of a play really.’

Miss Berry, who was speaking at the Cheltenham Literature Festival yesterday, also admitted to ignoring sell-by dates on food.

She said: ‘I was brought up in the war. There were no freezers but those sort of tips I got from my mother about using things up.

‘And also to use my nose. I don’t do sell-by dates but I have to confess if there is a pot of cream I just lift the lid and smell it. If it’s all right, I have it.

‘You do have to be careful if it is meat and keep within the dates.’