Mary Berry: The Queen of British Baking - The Biography

Book excerpt: Mary Berry is one of Britain's most respected and well-loved gurus of the kitchen. The undisputed 'Queen of the Aga' has been the focus of many television shows and regularly contributes her expertise on Woman's Hour. The recent hit BBC show The Great British Bake Off has once again put Mary back into the limelight and has reignited a passion for baking across the nation. Inspired by domestic science classes at school, Mary took a catering course at her local college before gaining a qualification from the Cordon Bleu school in Paris. After a stint working for the Electricity Board where she demonstrated to new owners of electric cookers how to operate them by cooking a Victoria sponge, and then as editor for Housewife and Ideal Home magazine, Mary published her first cookbook, The Hamlyn All Colour Cookbook, in 1970 and hasn't looked back since. As well as cookery books, Mary has collaborated with her daughter Annabel to produce their own range of dressings and sauces which are now sold worldwide. But her personal life has also been touched by tragedy, as her son William was killed in a car accident at the age of just 19. With over 70 cookery books under her belt, there is no doubt that Mary Berry is one of Britain's most successful cookery writers. Awarded the CBE in 2012, her gentle personality and classic 'family' cooking style are a remarkable contrast to some of the more outspoken celebrity television chefs - just one of the reasons why, even after over forty years in the industry, she is so well loved. This is her fascinating story.