'There's nothing more important than family'

Dame Mary Berry on love, loss and the festive meal

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There's no one that quite says Christmas like Dame Mary Berry. With less than a month to go before the big day, the chef and baker extraordinaire shares her festive plans, memories from Christmases past, top tips for a stress-free day, and explains why family is especially important at this time of year.

The former Great British Bake Off judge, 88, reassures, 'If you plan ahead, Christmas needn't be stressful.' She advises, 'The first thing is writing everything down, which I do at the beginning of December - how many people are coming, how many meals you need to prepare and what they're going to be. Then, make your list of everything you need to buy and do your shopping gradually, so you're not spending all your money in one day. Make good use of your freezer too. I always have a big lasagne in there, just in case we have extra guests.'

'It's so easy to complicate things, especially at Christmas,' says Mary, before explaining how she keeps stress levels at a minimum on the day. 'Everyone in the family will have their role because accepting help is key at Christmas.