Pesto from a jar – Mary’s kitchen secret

HER current TV series might be about rustling up simple meals in a jiffy but it seems we still expect Mary Berry to make an effort.

In the latest episode of Foolproof Cooking, the 80-year-old made dishes written off as lazy ‘student food’ by viewers.

The most controversial recipe used shop-bought pesto, which provoked so much outrage that Miss Berry was one of the most talked about topics on Twitter.

Viewers are more used to seeing such cheats on Nigella Lawson’s shows. In her most recent series, Simply Nigella, the 56-year-old made lemon pavlova with a jar of lemon curd and a grilled halloumi dish using packet salad.

The Great British Bake Off star opened the programme with a very basic tomato soup made by blending three cans of chopped tomatoes with sundried tomatoes, garlic and cream. Explaining why she had used tins, she said: ‘Only at the end of the season when tomatoes are really cheap would I use fresh.’

When preparing the pesto dish, she started by adding onions and pasta to boiling water, an unconventional method which she said would save on the washing up. The recipe also included smoky bacon, broccoli, cherry tomatoes and – the offending ingredient – supermarket pesto, which she tipped in at the end.

Tom Peck wrote on Twitter: ‘Mary Berry is making pasta with pesto and chopped up rashers of bacon. And then, we assume, heading straight down the student union.’

When she used a plastic bag to coat cauliflower in oil – not the first time she has used the trick in the series – viewers were again critical, saying: ‘Love Mary, but disapprove of her repeated use of polythene bags to oil things #waste.’ Earlier in the series Miss Berry was shamed for producing a beef Wellington with a soggy bottom – a faux-pas she is always highly critical of when judging Bake Off.

Despite the criticism, nearly 3million people tuned in on Monday night, marking an increase of almost 500,000 on last week.

A BBC spokesman said: ‘The theme was “Busy Days” and included recipes and ingredients based around quick and easy dishes for when time is scarce.’ Commenting on the use of the plastic bag, the spokesman said: ‘Using the re-usable plastic bag means that the recipe is more healthy as it uses less oil.’