Mary Berry 'thrilled' to be honoured with damehood

The doyen of British baking Mary Berry has said she is “very thrilled” to be made a Dame Commander for a culinary career spanning more than 50 years, after she received the honour from the Prince of Wales at Windsor Castle. After studying cooking in France and the UK, Dame Mary worked for a number of food industry bodies and got her big break when she stepped in to write the recipe pages of Housewife magazine when its cookery editor was away. Her first cookbook, The Hamlyn All Colour Cookbook, was published in 1970 and she has gone on to write more than 50 others which have sold millions around the world. Regular appearances on television and radio followed and she has remained a favourite with audiences down the decades. In her latest BBC series, which has the working title Mary Berry’s Fantastic Feasts, the television chef will come to the rescue of novice cooks hoping to impress a loved one with a lavish meal.