Mary Berry

“Cooking and baking is both physical and mental therapy.”

“I think to eat cake is very good for us, but it's the size of the slice and how often you have it.”

“Before the start of each new series, I go shopping for my 'Bake Off' wardrobe. I've got increasingly confident with my look and now wear much more colour than I did at the start.”

“'The Great British Bake Off' is family entertainment. There aren't many programmes where all ages can sit and watch from beginning to end. Everything else is violent, cruel, and noisy. We're educational without viewers realising it.”

“I am not great at computers. If I were to try shopping through Google, I'd end up with 33 vests.”

“Dad thought something very fishy was going on when, at 22, I was offered a job for £1,000 a year - more than Dad paid his own staff - for inventing cheese recipes and writing leaflets at the Dutch Dairy Bureau in London.”

“When I thought I couldn't write recipes, my boss at the time advised, 'Write as you talk.'”

“I never leave anything until the morning. I put my jumpers, scarves, and shoes out the night before. You never know what is going to happen. You don't want to get stressed.”

“I don't want food all over the place, down the sides of the sofa... When I shared a flat before I got married, we would always eat around the telly, but not now!”

“I honestly think there shouldn't be sugared drinks. All my grandchildren drink water all through the day. I've just had them to stay, and at breakfast, they have water. They don't even know what sugary drinks are.”

“I've been amazed by the success of 'The Great British Bake Off.' I've been 'rediscovered' at the age of 76. When I was asked to be a judge, I said I wanted to be myself. I didn't want to shout like some other television judges. I also said I was a very bad bread maker, so would the programme makers find someone to help on the bread scene?”

“It's so comforting to have a small piece of cake. Just one slice.”

“When you're on the way up, you have to take all the jobs because bills have to be paid.”

“I can't bear the thought of retirement, and I haven't prepared myself for it. I don't play bridge, and I don't play golf. I do play tennis, but you can't do that every day of the week.”

“The biscuit tin shouldn't be handy - move it about a bit. Try to keep it out of the way.”

“I do not like a quiche with wet, undercooked pastry underneath, and that is that.”

“I think my father couldn't wait to get home to his wife, but I don't know if he was so keen on us children.”

“Wherever possible, I like to use home-grown or locally produced ingredients.”

“My son is a tree surgeon and gets me a lovely tree. I like to put it up early, as I can't wait for Christmas. We dress it with decorations that have been in the family for years.”

“When I started, you had cochineal food colouring that would turn things pink, but you could never make it red. Now, red is no problem - and if you look at supermarket bakery sections since 'Bake Off' began, you can get everything.”