Bite-sized Berry!

Mary reveals her culinary secrets…

My favourite meal is… a roast best end of neck of lamb with mint sauce. My mother used to call it ‘chops in a bunch’! Just after the war, when meat was short, we used to have all the vegetables with mint sauce but without the lamb. Now that delicious English lamb is plentiful I appreciate it.

The worst thing I’ve ever

eaten is… oysters. I’ve never acquired a taste for them. I also don’t enjoy seed cake – I don’t

like caraway seeds.

The one food I can’t

live without is… toast and marmalade in the morning. I must have it.

The best meal I’ve had

prepared for me is… I recently had a wonderful meal at Le Gavroche, Michel Roux Jr’s restaurant. I don’t mind what I have there as it’s always so beautifully prepared and very special.

The person who taught me

the most is… my cookery teacher, Miss Date. I remember when I started cooking in domestic-science lessons; it was my sanctuary at school.

The best cooking tip I’ve been given

is… When you’re baking, weigh carefully and follow a good recipe.

The cooking gadget I couldn’t

live without is… At my stage of life I’m very keen on having a mixer and a processor. I’m a bit tired of chopping and beating. A sharp knife is a must too. My earliest food memory is… shrimps being peeled at Parkgate in Cheshire. It was on a visit to an aunt and I can remember seeing ladies sitting on chairs at their front doors shelling shrimps.

The best piece of advice I’ve been given

is… don’t put off till tomorrow what you can do today! Get everything done today – preparation is the greatest way to

reduce stress.