I'm very keen on the family getting together around the table because you learn so much of what's going on. With a full tummy, they begin to talk to you. People now have busy lives, but once or twice a week, it's lovely to sit all around together.
— Mary Berry
I've been amazed by the success of 'The Great British Bake Off.' I've been 'rediscovered' at the age of 76. When I was asked to be a judge, I said I wanted to be myself. I didn't want to shout like some other television judges. I also said I was a very bad bread maker, so would the programme makers find someone to help on the bread scene?
At my dinner parties, I like to serve cheese after the main course because you still have red wine in the glass, and it goes very well with the cheese. And that is what they do in France, and I think they set a good example.
The very best hotel I've stayed in is the Intercontinental on Park Lane. We went there for the Chelsea Flower Show a few years ago, and it was sheer luxury. Everybody had a smile on their face. I came home and changed all my pillows because the hotel ones were so beautiful.
Wherever possible, I like to use home-grown or locally produced ingredients.
I never leave anything until the morning. I put my jumpers, scarves, and shoes out the night before. You never know what is going to happen. You don't want to get stressed.
My favourite TV show is... 'Downton Abbey.' The characters are wonderful, and the style is created so beautifully on screen. Everything from the table settings to the linen seem perfect to me. While I'm watching it, I'm in a totally different world.
When our William was killed, there wasn't a child bereavement charity. I was extremely blessed with a very close family, wonderful friends, a supportive husband, and two further children.
I can't bear the thought of retirement, and I haven't prepared myself for it. I don't play bridge, and I don't play golf. I do play tennis, but you can't do that every day of the week.
Before the start of each new series, I go shopping for my 'Bake Off' wardrobe. I've got increasingly confident with my look and now wear much more colour than I did at the start.
I think my father couldn't wait to get home to his wife, but I don't know if he was so keen on us children.
To be able to walk out the door when you come home from a job and wander into the garden to do a bit of watering gives you time to be creative in your mind.
Freak diets I don't think work. It's control.
I never fry a doughnut! If you want a doughnut, go and buy one once in a blue moon. It's about everything in moderation.
My son is a tree surgeon and gets me a lovely tree. I like to put it up early, as I can't wait for Christmas. We dress it with decorations that have been in the family for years.
I make myself eat one piece of toast for breakfast. When I'm doing 'Bake Off,' I eat soup for lunch. I know what puts on weight for me; it's just over-indulgence.
When I thought I couldn't write recipes, my boss at the time advised, 'Write as you talk.'
If you're feeling a little bit down, a bit of kneading helps.
I've always collected vintage kitchenalia because it's beautifully made, and I love to see things that have been used down the ages.
All-in-one dishes are among my favourites. I'm very much in favour of using the oven as much as possible - for casseroles, roasts and other one-pot meals - rather than the hob, where dishes need much more attention.
My best holidays were in Devon and Cornwall when the children were growing up. We always used to stay on farms because our children were pretty wild, and it was great going to the beach every day. We used to go to Launceston and Salcombe and all over those two counties.
I love a good madeira cake. Nice and simple. The most important thing is that a cake is moist. Most people overcook cakes, which dries them out.
While we're filming 'Bake Off,' I can get really cold, so I'm often holding a hot-water bottle or layered up under an anorak and a warm hat.
I do like going out and finding free food. I've done it since I was a child. Fishing prawns and shrimps from the sea is wonderful, as is picking blackberries, sloes and mushrooms. Having a guide while out looking for mushrooms is really important, though, as picking the wrong type can be quite dangerous.
Looking back, I don't feel that I was the most brilliant mother. I was always very good at giving my children the right food, but it was one of my regrets in life that I didn't spend more time listening to them or playing with them.
A lot of other reality shows on television can be bullying and aggressive, but we wanted 'The Bake Off' to be an antidote to that.
I usually wear only a bit of pink lippy, but for TV, they add a few extra lashes to brighten my eyes and some colour to my face, as without it, I look pale and uninteresting.
Oh, I'd never put my elbows on the table.
I'm not great on the florals. I think you've got to wear what you're happy in and that is fun but isn't mutton dressed up as lamb.
I don't like tattoos because tattoos are forever.
Many people think children must have chips. I don't think any household should have a deep fat fryer.
If you are buying a larger turkey than usual, make sure it will fit in the oven.
I eat carefully because people don't want to see a large person judging cakes. They'll think to themselves, 'That's what happens when you eat cake.'
Without doubt, without hesitation, I choose gardening over the gym. I can't stand going to the gym. It doesn't appeal to me at all. Give me gardening every time.
I admire my fellow judge Paul Hollywood enormously, though we often argue. He believes presentation and uniformity are paramount; I'm more interested in taste. I don't mind if one bun is smaller than the others, or if there's a little pastry cracking, though I don't want a soggy bottom.
We have three and a half acres, complete with duck pond and wildflower meadow and open annually by appointment as part of the National Gardens Scheme.
You've got to pay an awful lot for your hotel before you get fresh orange juice. If a hotel has got proper orange juice - and you do expect it if you're abroad - I rank the hotel highly.
I've always had a strong interest in how food is produced and in knowing where it comes from.
I mainly cook British food with a few things I've had on my holidays. I went to the Canary Islands a few years ago, and we had all sorts of different mushrooms on brioche with pancetta on top, and it was delicious. I had it most days for lunch, so I thought, 'I'll do that when I get back,' and now it's in my cookbook, an absolute favourite.
My parents were very strict about manners and being polite to others. I brought my own children up that way, too.
So often, when somebody dies in the family, whether a child or a parent, there is no one to lean on. When something like that happens, you go into a shell, but on the other hand, it's a really good thing to talk it over and say how you feel.
I'm immensely proud to have been made a CBE, but I don't ever use the letters after my name unless someone has included them in correspondence.
Reluctant as I am to regard myself as a style icon, I would love to think I could inspire older women to make the most of themselves.
It is something you can't predict, and it is the huge sadness in your life, losing a child.
I can't pass a plant stall without feeling I must have one. But my greatest extravagance, I suppose, is roses. We've got masses.
I grow herbs near the back door, and you can grow a wonderful selection of herbs and window boxes... My idea is that you should grow what you eat. There's no point in growing something like celeriac - which is very difficult to grow - if you hate it.
I honestly think there shouldn't be sugared drinks. All my grandchildren drink water all through the day. I've just had them to stay, and at breakfast, they have water. They don't even know what sugary drinks are.
Life is all about sharing. If we are good at something, pass it on. That is the pleasure I get from teaching - whether it is television or books. We should all share.
I am a bit of a mother hen at Christmas! I always prepare in advance. It is the only way; otherwise, it can be really daunting.
I think to eat cake is very good for us, but it's the size of the slice and how often you have it.
