Mary Berry webchat: Join the queen of tarts on Monday 1.30 - 2.30

[RachelMumsnet]

We are excited and delighted that queen of the kitchen, Mary Berry, will be joining us at MNHQ for a live webchat.

Mary Berry, CBE is one of the UKs best-known and most respected cookery writers and television presenters. She has over 80 books to her name and over 6 million sales worldwide. A judge on The Great British Bake Off she has been voted as Britains favourite baking companion.

Mary's autobiography A Recipe for Life is out this month. A touching, evocative and fascinating memoir, Mary tells the story of her remarkable rise to fame. Everyone who joins the webchat will be entered into a draw to win a signed copy of A Recipe for Life. Join us on Monday or post a question in advance to Mary on this thread.

[ampattenden]

Hi Valentinegal, did you by any chance go to Teesdale School in Barnard Castle? My cookery teacher there was called Mrs Berry and is the right age to be a slightly younger sister in law... No memory of her first name/initial though. Would be quite exciting if it was her!

[Reastie]

oh crap, I didn't realise this had already happened (I actually am blushing in RL too).

As you were..........

[Reastie]

I have retyped this post about 10 times as I'm overcome at the thought of Mary answering one of my questions. Looking forward to reading the autobiography, it's on my Christmas list, and I've been a good girl all year

My question is, which recipe(s)/foods remind you most of your childhood and what memories do you get from them?

Mine is bread toasted on the fire as a special treat on cold winters evenings and my Mums speciality of lemon meringue pie

[Applecrumbly]

Aw my question got ignored too even though I posted it way in advance.Sob,sob.

[MarmaladeTwatkins]

Don't worry Nigel. She didn't answer me either

I am always dead polite and as on-topic questions but the only person that ever answered me was Hugh Grant, which I was pretty impressed with actually.

It IS a bit miffing when you posted a question up early on and get ignored but questions asked near the end (even if they are from posters that got answered already) get replies.

Pfffft.

[tinypumpkin]

Ah, I never get answered normally 50Shades I promise. In fact, never before at all. Mine was not a very sensible question, I will leave the baking qs to those who know what they are doing.

[50ShadesofXmas]

she didn't answer mine!!!!

I've always preferred Paul Hollywood anyway!

[tinypumpkin]

Yay about the question but bloody rubbish about the locking yourself out OldSockMonster. I was stupidly excited when she had answered mine!

[OddSockMonster]

Oh my, she answered my question first! Wish I hadn't locked myself out of the house for the whole of the webchat now, and come back and checked MN sooner. Thank you Mary!

[tinypumpkin]

Ooh, just noticed that Mary berry did answer my question, that will teach me to skim read.

I didn't know that she was a patron of the Child Bereavement Trust, that is fab. Loving her even more now for the bereavement work she does in terms of supporting families and raising awareness. A cause incredibly close to my heart sadly.

[nextphase]

Nigel Wilton angel tins Any use?

[LadyIsabellaWrotham]

Thanks mignonette.

[mignonette]

Sorry if just one then 'The Baking Bible'

[mignonette]

Mary Berry's Baking Bible

Mary Berry's Fast Cakes

Mary Berry At Home

She has a new book out coauthored w/ her assistant Lucy Young out next February called 'Cook Up A Feast'.

[LadyIsabellaWrotham]

I'm sure I've read that she has corrected the Daily Mail's "Mary Berry hates feminists" story - I think it was a Radio Times article where she said that her words were taken out of context and what she meant was something along the lines of "equal rights for women is great but I'm not the right person to ask as I'm not good at political theory"

If any MB fans are still lurking, which of her baking books would you recommend if I'm going to buy just one?

[mignonette]

Yes she ignored.....

[onetiredmummy]

I missed it unfortunately.

Did Ms Berry expound on her fascinating anti women's rights theories? Or did she ignore questions surrounding the subject?

[mignonette]

Ohdear No you didn't come across as snippy. It seems that in this case, asking questions during the webchat yielded a better chance of being answered.

I PMed you (but am not Mary Berry)....

[HoneyDragon]

I definitely read it as distraught wailing not snippiness.

[OhDearNigel]

have just realised my post came over quite snippy. I am aware of the posting guidelines for webchats !!! Please imagine my post being wailed into the computer in the middle of tears of misery

[HoneyDragon]

Squeeeeeeeeeee!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!






thankyoooooou

[OhDearNigel]

Dear Mumsnet
I never get my very inoffensive and perfactly topical questions answered on Webchats :(
PLEASE if I ever bother to put a question on a webchat can it be answered especially as other people have had multiple questions answered

Off now to cry into my coffee

[mignonette]

Another thing that can help is buying very light coloured tins Elliptic as darker tins encourage the sides of cakes to cook too fast. Also using greaseproof paper folded over the top and as a collar around the sides (paler coloured paper).

Putting cakes at the top of a non fan oven will cook them faster so the advice w/ these ovens is to cook at the base if it is a slower cooking time recipe (fruit cakes) and in the middle for others. Many recipes from older recipe books (pre fan ovens) will suggest whereabouts to place the cake tins.

[Elliptic5]

Thank you mignonette, I thought I had read some where that some things are better suited to certain sorts of oven. I have real trouble with cakes in loaf tins being burnt on top and raw in the middle - had this problem this weekend with Paul Hollywoods Banana and Walnut loaf from the How to Bake book.

And congratulations honeydragon .

[RachelMumsnet]

And the winner of our prize draw is..... Honeydragon. Congratulations!
You have won a signed copy of Mary's memoir A Recipe for Life. We'll pm you with details of how to claim your prize.