The perils of cooking for Mary Berry...

IMPRESSING dinner party guests is always a challenge, but imagine what it’s like when you’re cooking for kitchen whizz Mary Berry.

BBC sports presenter Gabby Logan has struck up a friendship with former Bake Off judge Mary, who lives near her Buckinghamshire village, Penn. And Gabby has invited Mary and her husband, Paul Hunnings, round to eat.

‘Mary’s kind about my cooking and says she likes the mint sauce I made for a lamb,’ Gabby tells me at the opening of Columbia sportswear’s new Carnaby Street store. ‘I also made a cheesecake. Because I’m not a baker she didn’t have too much of a soft spot for it. I gave her lots of alcohol to try and cover the taste.’

Match Of The Day host Gabby, 45, aims to emulate Mary’s career longevity. ‘Mary is my role model. She’s 84 and works harder than I do.’