Mary Berry – I ignore sell-by dates

0 Bake Off star Mary Berry: ‘I just lift the lid and smell it’ Cookery queen Mary Berry has confessed to ignoring sell-by dates on food and relying on her nose instead. zthe former Great British Bake Off judge said that she sniffs the food and uses it if it smells OK.

Berry, 82, said her mother gave her plenty of tips about cooking and running a home, which feature in her new book.

“I was brought up in the war and things were quite difficult. The garden was an enormous help then,” Berry told the Cheltenham Literature Festival. “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.”