Mary Berry

THE QUEEN OF CAKES GETS UP CLOSE AND PERSONAL WITH HER HOME

- REBECCA KNIGHT

Cooking legend Mary Berry lives in Henley, Oxfordshire with her husband Paul and two dogs Darcy and Freddy

WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU DO THE SECOND YOU WALK THROUGH YOUR FRONT DOOR?

Tell the dogs to be quiet. If I've been away, the first thing I do is go into the garden and see what I can pick to make the house home. There are always flowers in the garden - we've got some irises and they're on the kitchen table now.

WHAT'S YOUR FAVOURITE TIME OF THE DAY AT HOME?

At the end of the day, you know when you've achieved what you've set out from your list, and the door closes. Six o'clock I think is about my favourite time; sitting down, perhaps having a drink and thinking I'd better get on with some supper.

WHERE'S YOUR HAPPY PLACE AT HOME?

I love my kitchen. We now live in Henley and the house is just what we want. We have a main family kitchen, then we have a little kitchen where we do all the testing. People say my recipes work; it’s because they are tried out until we’ve made them perfect for everybody else to make.

WHAT’S ON YOUR BEDSIDE TABLE?

A clock, a picture of the children, my book of the moment. I’m reading Diary of a Modern Country Gardener by Tamsin Westhorpe.