In addition to chatting to retailers on the Captivate Brands stand at the recent Spring Fair (February 3-7 Birmingham), TV presenter, cookery writer and ‘queen of cakes’ Mary Berry spoke to HousewaresNews.net and appeared on the Inspiring Retail Stage in conversation with Ashley Armstrong, retail editor for The Times newspaper.
Mary talked about the development of her tableware -The Signature range and The English Garden Collection from Captivate Brands – and revealed insights into her career.
The celebrity told HousewaresNews.net that she has replaced all the tableware in her kitchen with her “stylish” ranges stating: “The colour scheme is as good now as it will be in the future – it’s very mellow and it won’t go out of fashion or detract from the food.”
“It makes a lot of difference how you present food,” Mary emphasised. Making food “the star,” the celebrity cook avoids patterned tableware, opting for texture (“little bobbles round the edge”) rather than pattern on her Signature tableware.
Mary admitted, “Captivate were brilliant – they suggested the sort of things I could have and then I would choose exactly what I wanted.” She also likes the “crossover between best and everyday” – her tableware is dishwasher safe and easy to fit in a dishwasher (hence an insistence on practical round shaped plates rather than anything square).
The exact size of Mary’s bowls was important, being “just right for soup” or “the right amount of fresh fruit salad.” In her view, a bowl make a perfect gift to take to a lunch invitation (instead of a box of chocolates). The three storage canisters from The English Garden Collection or one of her multifunctional jugs (filled with some freshly picked roses) also make perfect gifts, in Mary’s opinion.
Details that Mary loves about her ranges include the small ceramic salt and pepper pinch bowls in a wooden base. “I had two small bowls but they’d loose each other so I wanted a little tray,” she told HN.net. Round textile placemats, which are “good on round tables,” and are “easy to wash,” are another example of Mary’s desire for her products to be “practical”, “stylish” and “simple.”
Talking generally about her life and values, Mary admitted that she is generally “not fussy” about food, although dinner favourites include a “good homemade chicken and ham pie and a good pasta dish”. She emphasised: “When I go round to friends, I don’t mind what we eat, it’s the company that matters.” Hence a meal is about “getting people together”, although it helps to lay the table “properly,” acknowledged Mary.
The celebrity chef values time spent around the meal table as it “gets the whole family talking.” Mary is also a fan of cooking with children or grandchildren, as it “doesn’t cost too much money” and provides a great confidence boost. “We all like a bit of praise,” she said, particularly if it has been a bad day at school, or if a child is “not so good at school.” Mary admitted that she did not like academic work but loved school cookery lessons.
“I feel that every school should have facilities to teach cooking,” said Mary, hoping that cookery will make a comeback on the school curriculum. In her opinion, every boy and girl should leave school capable of cooking up to ten things on one source of heat. She also points out that cooking and baking are perfect antidotes to stress.
Talking of her long career, Mary confessed: “To me what I do is not work – it’s sheer pleasure. I love cooking and I love gardening.”
Other revelations about Mary include:
* Besides fish and chips, Mary has never ordered a takeaway. “I can do things quickly –it doesn’t appeal to me,” she said.
* When it came to decorating her own wedding cake, Mary picked some fresh roses and arranged them around the outside of the cake.
“I’m not one for a lot of decorations,” she admitted.
* One of Mary’s tips is that: “I live by lists and try and think ahead.”
* Mary once played the drums live on stage for 80s pop star Rick Astley at a music festival, having shown Rick how to make muffins. She admitted to feeling a little “star struck.”
* There is always a tin of homemade butter shortbread at Mary’s house.
Top: Mary Berry holding one of her jugs (perfect for milk, cream, custard, sauces or flowers) with HousewaresNews.net’s Jo Howard at Spring Fair.
