Dame Mary Berry might be best known for her skills in the kitchen, but being outside in the garden is her real happy place.
"Being in the garden always makes me feel a little bit better about everything," the chef and broadcaster says.
It's been 16 years since Mary, 91, joined The Great British Bake Off as a judge alongside Paul Hollywood and the presenters Mel Giedroyc and Sue Perkins.
In May this year, she was presented with the prestigious Bafta fellowship by Mel and Sue in recognition of her six decades in British broadcasting, inspiring viewers to cook at home.
© Kate Green/Getty Images for BAFTThe cookery writer has released over 70 cookbooks over her storied career, but it was only earlier this year that she released My Gardening Life, a memoir of a passion that began in her childhood when her family lived near Bath.
During the Second World War, her father, who had two greenhouses, grew crops to help feed the family. Mary had her own patch, where she grew radishes and lettuce. Now she's an RHS ambassador and a president emeritus of the National Garden Scheme, which grants the public access to private gardens across the UK.
It wasn't until Mary’s own children were older – Thomas is now 58, Belles 54; William, died in 1989 aged 19 – that she returned to gardening, dedicating herself to nurturing her garden in Buckinghamshire, where she lived for more than 40 years.
In 2019, Mary and Paul Hunnings, her husband of 60 years, moved to Henley-on-Thames, bringing with them their favourite plants from their former garden.
© POOL/AFP via Getty ImagesThe new one-acre garden in Henley needed work, so Mary called on the landscaping architect and fellow broadcaster Bunny Guinness to help her start from scratch. New additions included raised beds made of brick, a circular pond inspired by one she'd seen in Alan Titchmarsh's garden – made in memory of her longtime friend Penny Tetley – and yew hedging to screen the property's tennis court.
Additional help came in the form of her gardener, Kevin Pryce, who has been with Mary for 32 years and to whom she dedicated My Gardening Life.
Mary's garden favourites
Now, there's also a terrific Alitex greenhouse, where Mary grows tomatoes, cucumbers and kumquats, the latter of which she uses to make marmalade; she also cultivates carrots, lettuce, banana shallots and red onions, and has a pear and peach tree.
When it comes to cooking with produce from the garden, she has one simple tip: "Fresh herbs give a lift to dishes, and most are so simple to grow."
© Simon UptonBasil is her favourite, she says, while thyme can improve almost any recipe.
Among her flowers are a bed of sweet Williams, dedicated to her late son. There are also hellebores, gifted by friends, and primroses that originally came from her mother's garden in Bath. Her favourite blooms include roses, particularly Chandos Beauties, lily of the valley and tall alstroemeria, which last well in water, she says.
"It is lovely to see the first buds appear and make the garden full of promise."
Her garden informs a happy space inside her home. "There is so much joy in growing flowers and vegetables and bringing them into the house," she says. "I find this so rewarding. It's really about enjoying taking in the simple pleasures of nature and scent. Those everyday moments are the most special, I think."
She loves sharing that space with guests. Her own hosting tips?
"A thoughtfully arranged table sets the scene for any occasion," she says. "It's the little touches that people remember."
When it comes to preparing: "Do as much as you can ahead of time… then drop your shoulders and enjoy it."
© Simon UptonNow, Mary is fronting Holland Cooper's first ever gardening collection, joining its founder, Jade, a fellow gardening enthusiast, to celebrate the clothing brand's elevated garden essentials that have been designed to bring a sense of luxury to the outdoors.
"Jade is completely at home in the garden," she says. "It suits her rather well."
When it comes to gardening style, it's "important to feel at ease in what you wear", Mary says. "When you're popping in and out of the garden, you want something that just works."
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