What is Mary Berry's Net Worth?
Mary Berry is an English chef, cookbook writer, and television presenter who has a net worth of $25 million. Mary Berry has hosted several television series for BBC and Thames Television, and served as a judge on the baking competition show "The Great British Bake Off" from 2010 to 2016. Berry has also contributed to the radio magazine program "Woman's Hour" and the morning television program "Saturday Kitchen Live."
Early Life and Education
Mary Berry was born on March 24, 1935 in Bath, Somerset, England as the second of three children of Margaret and Alleyne. Her father was a planner and surveyor who served as the mayor of Bath in 1952 and was involved in establishing the University of Bath. When she was 13, Berry contracted polio and spent three months in the hospital. She left with a twisted spine, a weak left hand, and a thinner left arm. Berry was educated at Bath High School, where she developed a passion for domestic science. She went on to attend Bath College of Domestic Science.
Career Beginnings
Berry began her career at the Bath electricity board showroom. She then conducted home visits to show new customers how to use their electric ovens. For her demonstrations, she would make a Victoria sponge in the oven. At the age of 22, Berry applied to work at the Dutch Dairy Bureau while taking night classes at the City and Guilds of London Institute. She was eventually able to persuade her manager to pay for her to attend Le Cordon Bleu culinary school in France. After that, Berry worked in a range of cooking-related jobs. In 1966, she became the food editor for Housewife magazine, and in 1970 became the food editor for Ideal Home.
Cookbooks
While working as a recipe tester for the PR firm Benson's, Berry began writing her first cookbook. That book, "The Hamlyn All Colour Cookbook," was published in 1970. Since then, Berry has penned over 70 cookbooks and has sold over five million. She often works on her books with her assistant Lucy Young. Among Berry's most notable cookbooks is her 2009 bestseller "Baking Bible," which was ranked as one of the ten best baking books by the online newspaper the Independent.
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Television Career
In 2010, Berry achieved a whole new level of popularity when she began appearing as a judge on the BBC baking competition show "The Great British Bake Off." She served as a judge alongside baker Paul Hollywood until 2016, when she was replaced by Prue Leith. Berry had some other shows during her time on "GBBO." In 2014, she hosted her own BBC Two series called "Mary Berry Cooks." The following year, she hosted "Mary Berry's Absolute Favorites," and in 2016 hosted "Mary Berry Everyday" and "Mary Berry's Easter Feast." In late 2017, Berry presented a four-part BBC One series called "Mary Berry's Country House Secrets," in which she explored four historic houses in the UK through the lenses of food and history.
In 2018, Berry served as a judge alongside Dan Doherty and Chris Bavin on the BBC One cooking competition show "Britain's Best Home Cook." She remained on the show, retitled "Best Home Cook," until its cancellation in 2022. Meanwhile, she launched the six-part cooking series "Mary Berry's Simple Comforts" on BBC Two in 2020. That same year, Berry presented the BBC One special "Mary Berry Saves Christmas." In late 2021, she presented the BBC special "Mary Berry's Festive Feasts" for Christmas. Berry went on to present multiple programs in 2022, including "Mary Berry's Fantastic Feasts," "Mary Berry Cook and Share," and "Mary Berry's Ultimate Christmas."
The Platinum Pudding Competition
In early 2022, it was announced that Berry would both chair and serve as a judge for the Platinum Pudding Competition, a nationwide British baking competition to find a new pudding to mark Queen Elizabeth II's Platinum Jubilee. She helped choose the new pudding on the BBC One special "The Jubilee Pudding: 70 Years in the Baking.
Personal Life
Berry has been married to Paul Hunnings since 1966. They have a son and a daughter, and had another son who was killed in a car accident in 1989. For over 40 years, Berry lived in Penn, Buckinghamshire; in 2018, she and her husband moved to Henley-on-Thames, Oxfordshire.
In 2012, Berry was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her services to the culinary arts. Later, in 2020, she was made a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire for her services to the culinary arts, broadcasting, and charity.
