If there will ever be mention of the greatest cook or baker in the world, Mary Berry from Britain will always get a special mention owing to about 100 cookbooks she has written and continues to do so. She is amongst the very first people who brought a new perspective towards cooking and baking, and her efforts were appreciated by the majority, which even led her to host her own shows on cooking.
Even now, she is actively working, writing, and hosting shows, and sharing her recipes. Let’s explore her journey of becoming one of the most celebrated bakers and cooks of Britain, and how much wealth she earns through it.
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Mary Berry was born on 24th March 1935, in Bath, Somerset, England, as Mary Rosa Alleyne Berry, the second of three children. Her father, Alleyne William Steward Berry, worked as a surveyor and later became the mayor of Bath, while her mother, Margaret Berry, was a homemaker. At age 13, in 1948, Mary contracted polio, affecting her spine and left hand, but she persevered and grew stronger.
In the late 1940s and early 1950s, she attended Bath High School for girls, where her interest in cooking emerged, and it was supported by her domestic science teacher. In 1952, she went to Bath College of Domestic Science, where she took formal training in culinary skills.
As she wanted to become an expert, she went to Le Cordon Bleu in Paris in 1954 and also enrolled in additional courses with the Dutch Dairy Bureau. All these educational and formal training helped her seek and establish a successful career in cooking, baking, writing, and hosting.
Post completing her education and formal training, she started her professional career in 1995 and joined as a junior home service advisor for the Southern Gas Board, where she showed her cooking recipes using gas appliances. In 1960, she joined “Housewife” Magazine as a cookery editor. The very next year, she joined “Ideal Home Magazine” and worked as a food writer.
She published her first cookbook, “The Hamlyn All Colour Cookbook” in 1970, which marked the beginning of her career as a prolific writer, and the book was a huge success. Over the years, she has written over 100 cookbooks that covered every major and traditional recipe of Britain, from cooking to baking, desserts to family meals. Some of her best-selling books include “Mary Berry’s Complete Cookbook,” in 1995, “Baking Bible” in 2009, and “Mary Berry Cooks” in 2014.
She evolved from the editor to television and made her debut in 1973 and appeared in “Afternoon Plus” and “Good Afternoon.” She was appreciated for her detailed instructions and traditional recipes, and continued to appear on television throughout her 1980s and 1990s. Her major turning event came when she was selected as a judge of BBC One’s “The Great British Bake Off” in 2010 with Paul Hollywood. The show gave Mary more exposure and fame, and she became a legend in Britain.
She continued to do “Bake Off” till 2016 and post leaving the show she went on presenting her own show in 2017 with “Mary Berry Everyday” followed with “Mary Berry’s Quick Cooking” in 2019, “Marry Berry’s Simple Comforts” in 2020, “Mary Berry: Love to Cook” in 2011, and Marry Makes It Easy” in 2023. She continued food education and charity work and supported causes like child nutrition initiatives and Parkinson’s.
In 2012, she was even appointed as the Commander of the Order of the British Empire, as an honour for her culinary arts. She was promoted to Dame Commander in 2020 for her culinary skills, charity work, and broadcasting. At present, Mary remains one of the influential figures in the field of culinary arts in Britain and continues to write.
Mary Berry shot to fame when she was appointed as a judge for BBC One’s “The Great British Bake Off” in 2010 with Paul Hollywood. Since then, her popularity has only increased.
Mary Berry married twice, and her first marriage was with Paul John Merchant in 1955, and she had one daughter from her first marriage, Annabel, born in 1957. The couple divorced in 1966, and she married again in 1989 to Michael Berry, who was a jazz musician and television presenter until Michael’s death in 2016.
By working tirelessly and consistently, Mary’s net worth stands at $32 million to $36 million. She made this huge net worth by working as an editor, publishing her own books, about 100, hosting and presenting shows, and appearing in events.
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