Mary Berry

Mary Berry’s lemon curd is a smooth, glossy, sharp-sweet spread made from just lemons, sugar, butter and eggs, cooked gently over simmering water. It’s bright and tangy with a silky, buttery finish, nothing like the shop-bought stuff. It takes about 20 minutes at the stove and fills a couple of jars. Her recipe on BBC …

Mary Berry’s Yorkshire puddings are tall, crisp and hollow, made from a simple batter of plain flour, eggs and milk with one clever addition: an extra egg yolk. They rise dramatically in a very hot oven with sizzling fat in the tin. The batter takes minutes, and they bake in about 15. She shares them …

Mary Berry’s luxury fish pie layers three kinds of fish in a leek and white wine sauce, studded with hard-boiled eggs, under a Gruyère-topped mash. The salmon, smoked haddock and fresh haddock give it depth a plain cod pie never has. It bakes at 200C for 35 to 40 minutes and serves six. She calls …

Mary Berry’s sweet and sour chicken stir-fries marinated chicken with peppers, celery and onion, in a glossy sauce built from pineapple and lychee juice with a little ketchup. Both fruits go in whole at the end, so it’s fresher and lighter than a takeaway. It serves four to six and comes together in under half …

Mary Berry’s carrot cake is a moist two-layer sponge made with sunflower oil, grated carrot, walnuts, coconut and pineapple, sandwiched and topped with vanilla cream cheese icing. Warm cinnamon runs through it. It bakes at 180C for 45 to 50 minutes and serves eight. This is her Ashburton Carrot Cake from Mary Berry & Lucy …

Mary Berry’s potato salad is made with waxy new potatoes dressed twice: first tossed warm in a mustard vinaigrette, then folded in mayonnaise once cool. Spring onions, gherkins, tarragon and chives run through it. It serves four and needs about an hour of chilling before it’s ready. The two-stage dressing is what sets her version …

Mary Berry’s roast potatoes are floury main crop potatoes, parboiled and roughed up, then roasted in a mix of smoking-hot goose fat and vegetable oil until crisp and golden. The inside stays soft and fluffy, the outside shatters. They serve six and take about 50 minutes at a hot 220C. She lays out her method …

Mary Berry’s leek and potato soup is a smooth, gently savoury blend of sweated leeks, onion and potato in chicken stock, finished with single cream and a squeeze of lemon. Nutmeg and the green of the leeks give it colour and warmth. It serves four and takes about 55 minutes from board to bowl. This …

Mary Berry’s dauphinoise potatoes layer two kinds of potato, sweet and King Edward, in cream and stock under a Parmesan crust. The result is soft, savoury and just rich enough, with the sweet potato adding colour and a mellow edge. It bakes at a hot 220C and takes about an hour and five minutes, serving …

Mary Berry’s smoked salmon starter is a cold, composed plate of curled smoked salmon, prawns in a homemade cocktail sauce, sliced avocado and tomato, all finished with a mustard dressing. There’s no cooking at all, just 10 to 15 minutes of assembly, and it feeds six as an elegant first course. She plates these individually …