How Mary Berry rustles up her perfect day

The 84-year-old former Bake Off judge fills her day with grandchildren, dawn dog walks and cooking three-course meals for friends

6am My husband [Paul Hunnings] is up at 6am and I lie there thinking, it will be me soon. I get up at 6.45 and then we make the bed together. I’ll be in jeans and a star-print jumper. I just use a bit of E45 – I don’t have many pots and jars – and I wear the same pink lipstick every day, Max Factor English Rose. As soon as it’s light, we go for a walk with our two dogs, working cockers Darcey, who’s four, and five-monthold Freddy [mother and son]. 8.15am Breakfast is toast with marmalade, and Paul has fresh fruit. We have instant coffee with hot milk and chat to the dogs and one another. 8.45am Often I will have friends round for supper, so I’ll nip out early and walk to Waitrose to get a last-minute fresh thing. I love flowers, but in January I don’t have anything to pick from the garden so I’ll buy a bunch of alstroemeria. I am a great one for preparing dinner ahead, so I’ll start making something like a lamb tagine, with wild rice and a salad, along with a lemon posset, in the morning. 1pm I have more coffee, then for lunch we might have home-made celeriac soup with a nice bit of cream in it. 2pm I have five grandchildren and they are all very keen on their sport – rugby or netball. We drive in our old Mercedes to watch them play locally. 5pm I whip round, tidy everything up and change into something informal while my husband has a shower. Guests – my husband’s golfing pals or my tennis friends – arrive at 7.30pm. 8.15pm I might do gravadlax as a first course and make a mustard and dill sauce. After the tagine, the next course would be cheese, all English. Paul will be in charge of the drinks. We’ll then have coffee round the fire and our lemon pud, and I’ll make a little tiny star biscuit to go with it. 10.30pm I have a hot bath with aromatherapy oils as it helps me sleep. I always read before bed, and I love Monty Don’s recent book. If Monty tells me on a Friday night to go and take cuttings, I avidly go out and do it. 11pm I get into the left-hand side of the bed. My husband will then come round to my side and says nice things to me.

Mary with daughter Annabel and her three children

MY GUILTY PLEASURE Lindt white-chocolate balls. I restrict myself to one with my coffee after supper. Lindt White Chocolate Truffles, £5, Sainsbury’s

Japanese Gardens: A Journey (Two Roads, £35)

MY GO-TO COMFORT RECIPE My family would all say it’s my lemon drizzle cake, an all-in-one sponge with a lemon syrup on top, which gives it a nice crunch. I made it last week.

MY FAVOURITE RECENT BUY A greenhouse. It’s just had its shelves fitted, and I’m thrilled to bits. I’ve put my lemon tree in there for the winter and grow sweet peas.