Mary Berry has confessed that the secret to her perfectly cooked Christmas turkey isn’t a fancy oven – it’s a sleeping bag. The chef, 90, shared her top tips for making the perfect Christmas turkey, which include wrapping it in multiple layers before transporting it.
The former Great British Bake Off star said: “I bring the turkey – I have it ready by 11am and then I wrap it in foil, old clean towels and a sleeping bag without a zip, and put it in the boot of the car for the drive to my son’s house. It stays piping hot and the meat is rested, even after four or five hours, because of the bulk of the thing.” The TV star also revealed her festive must-haves, including fresh herbs for stuffing and a lighter Christmas cake filled with brandy-soaked apricots.
Mary added to Radio Times: “I always use fresh herbs for the stuffing. I don’t like packet stuffing because the dry herbs are too strong. I make an open dish of apricots and chestnuts for vegetarians, it’s delicious.
“To give Christmas cake a difference from the pudding, I make it on the lighter side and fill it with apricots soaked in brandy.”
Mary will be spending Christmas with her family, including her husband Paul Hunnings, who she married in 1966. But just last month, the TV chef admitted her husband is “terribly frail” at present.
Speaking to Yours Magazine, Dame Mary revealed: “He’s terribly frail, but very cherished and well looked after. Just as I was leaving, I gave him a little plate of smoked salmon, a wedge of lemon, and I cut the crusts off the bread.
“And though he doesn’t have a drink with it, I’ll do the drinking when I get in.”
Paul, 93, was recently rushed to hospital after a fall left him with fractured ribs. Mary has been caring for him during his recovery, saying the experience has only strengthened their bond.
She told Saga Magazine: “He’s just had a tumble with broken ribs. I’m very sympathetic about that. But he’s getting better day by day. Soon we’ll have him back to his own old self.
“I love my husband far more now than I’ve ever done before. Now, in his dotage, he’s not so well. It’s a sheer pleasure looking after him, because he’s so grateful.”
Mary added: “You know, he always comes first; that is the way I was brought up.”
