Mary Berry Biography for Kids (2024)

Birthday- March 24, 1935

Who is Mary Berry?

Mary Berry is also known as Mary, Queen of Cakes. She is a famous British television presenter, chef, and food writer. She has published over 75 cookbooks under her name. The most popular one is Baking Bible, which was published in 2009.

Five Facts about Mary Berry

1. Mary Berry is a big fan of animals, and she grew up with a pet pony named Kerry Lass
2. She studied in a world-renowned cookery school in France
3. She has been hosting tv shows for over 40 years
4. She has two smartphone apps; In Mary We Trust and Mary Berry Bakes
5. Mary Berry and her daughter, Annabel, launched a series of sauces and salad dressings in 1994, which are still available in UK Supermarkets.

Inspirational Quotes from Mary Berry

“Fill your horns right to the bottom so you can enjoy the last mouthful.”

“Cooking and baking are both physical and mental therapy.”

Early Life

If you are a big fan of cooking shows, you may have already heard of Mary Berry. What you did not know about is her rich life history with over 40 years of cooking, writing, and hosting experience.

Dame Mary Rosa Alleyne Berry is the birth name of Mary Berry. Since she had quite a long name, she settled to be called Mary Berry, which has a nice ring to it. She was born on March 24, 1935, to parents Margaret and Alleyne Berry. She had a younger and an older sibling.

Culinary talents were also in Mary Berry’s lineage. She was related to Robert Houghton, a master baker during the 1860s through her father’s side.

When Berry was 13 years old, she was diagnosed with polio. She was hospitalized for 3 months. She noted that the period of separation from her home and family helped her toughen up. It also helps her have a different perspective on life and to make the most of every chance she gets.

Berry studied at Bath High School. During her academic stay there, she described her abilities as “hopeless.” However, that all changed when her teacher started science classes. Her teacher, Miss Date, was very encouraging about her cooking abilities, which made her even more interested and dedicated to the subject.

The first dish she ever made during the class was a Treacle sponge pudding. She took it home to have her family try it. She felt even more encouraged to do better at the subject when her father commented that it tasted as great as her mother’s.

Later on, she went to the Bath College of Domestic Science and studied catering and shipping management.

Career

After finishing her college studies, Berry landed a job at the Bath Electricity Board showroom. She made home visits to new customers and demonstrated how to use electric ovens. One of her favorite ways of showing them how it works is by making Victoria sponge.

Berry dreamt of moving her to the big city of London. However, her parents were against the idea and will only allow her to move out once she is 21 years old. When she was 22, she applied to the Dutch Dairy Bureau. During this time, she also took evening City & Guild evening courses. She also managed to convince her manager to pay for her classes at the Le Cordon Bleu School.

After working for the Dutch Dairy Bureau, Berry started working for Bensons as a recipe tester. During these times, she also started writing her own cookbooks. In1966, she worked at the Housewife magazine as a food editor, then she became the food editor for Ideal Home magazine.

Berry published her first cookbook in 1970, which was titled; The Hamlyn All Colour Cookbook. She also launched her namesake product range with her daughter in 1994. Over the years, Berry also starred in her own cooking shows and judged several bake-off series. She was

Legacy

In 1966, Berry was married to Paul John March Hunnings. He sold antique books and worked for Harvey's of Bristol. Together, the couple had 3 children; 2 sons and a daughter. Unfortunately, they lost one of their sons to a car accident in 1989. The incident resulted in Berry becoming a patron for the Child Bereavement UK.

In her over 40 years of culinary career, Berry received multiple awards and recognitions for her work. In 2009, she received the Guild of Food Writers Lifetime Achievement Award. She was also appointed as the Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her service to culinary arts.

Not only that, but she also received a Bath Spa University honorary degree in 2012 and a Freedom of the City of London award in 2014. In 2017, she was awarded by the National Television Awards as the best TV judge for her role in the Great British Bake Off.

Aside from her cooking, Berry is also well known for her fashion sense. She was given second place in The Guardian’s 50 best-dressed over 50s list.