Today’s Monday Muse is somewhat of a departure from our previously featured ladies. Nevertheless she is arguably as glamorous and definitely as inspirational.
Mary Berry, owner of an astounding array of silk scarves and coiffed hair has become a national treasure. With her common sense approach to cooking, her judging style on the Great British Bake off has inspired the nation to dust off their mixing bowls and whip up a Victoria Sponge.

Now at the fabulous age of 78, Mary’s impressive back catalogue of cookery books would be enough to inspire any budding chef. However for me it’s her confidence, ambition and determination that makes her such an inspiration.

After a terrifying stay in hospital suffering from Polio when she was just thirteen, Mary learned to be strong in solitude and vowed to take up every opportunity that was offered to her. Despite being born into an era when it would have been acceptable to become a housewife or take on roles close to home around her family; Mary’s career choices have been bold and varied yet she has remained dedicated to her family life.

She had fulfilled one of my own lifelong ambitions of living in Paris by the by the time she was 25, albeit for a short period of time. After persuading her Manager at the Dutch Dairy Bureau to fund her training she attended the Le Cordon Bleu School to perfect her culinary prowess.

Putting her passion for cookery to good use, Berry’s career history ranges right through from Electric Oven Demonstrator through to Ideal Home Food Editor.
I have to be honest that I wasn’t aware of Mary’s work before I became a GBB viewer. Recently I watched a repeat of her biography on BBC and was saddened to learn that Mary had disappeared from our screens in the late eighties following the tragic death of one of her sons.

While she took a hiatus from the limelight thankfully she continued to share her wisdom and set up her Aga Cookery School. A genius idea I say because as an owner of an Esse Stove I still don’t have a blinking clue how to get the best out of my oven.

Twenty years later she returned to our screens with the rascal, Paul Hollywood to judge the Great British Bake Off persuading a whole new generation to don their pinnies. Yes, she lacks the innovation of Heston or the finesse of Nigella but in an era when we frequently hear of age related discrimination cases, Mary’s presence on our screens is a breath of fresh air (as is Moira Stewart’s voice on the radio). I for one, will be tuning in to her Mary Berry Cooks show this evening.

Her hard work ethic is one to applaud and I have huge admiration for someone who continues to be so successful yet still remembers to count her blessings. And also someone who can eat that much cake and stay so slim.

Has Mary Berry inspired you to bake any cakes recently? I would love to know if any of your Grandparents worked into their seventies? And finally were any of you flabbergasted last week when she put an entire lemon (skin and all) into her cake?!

Images sources: Family | Kitchen | Lemon Cake | Scones | Marble Cake | Tarte au Citron | Great British Bake Off | Younger Years | CBE