Better than the Bake Off tent! The £4m mansion at the heart of Mary’s new show
SET in four acres of woodland, it is no surprise this sprawling Victorian mansion used to be frequented by royalty.
But the £4.25million home has welcomed a different kind of clientele recently – amateur cooks eager to impress Mary Berry.
The seven-bedroom property, boasting a pool and tennis courts, is where contestants of the BBC’s new cooking show relaxed after finishing cooking challenges.
In an Apprentice-style twist, Britain’s Best Home Cook, which launched on Thursday and is presented by Claudia Winkleman, sees ten foodies live under one roof while they battle it out to be named the winner.
And with the house priced at up to £2,250 per night to rent, it didn’t come cheap. Production company Keo is thought to have negotiated a price of around £33,000 to rent it in January and February.
Hidden behind wrought-iron gates, the 5,300 sq ft mansion in Ascot, Berkshire, has its own pool and can sleep up to 28 guests. Its owner, former car salesman Robert Jones, 52, has also just finished building two further apartments in the grounds.
Judges Miss Berry, Chris Bavin and Dan Doherty never visited the home, but the contestants were carted to and from the property every day for filming at Pinewood Studios around 15 miles away.
Built in 1886 for Scottish-born Charles Lennox Kerr, the grand home was often visited by Queen Victoria’s daughters. Mr Jones said: ‘The team at Britain’s Best Home Cook were very professional, paid the money they owed and were no trouble at all.’