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Dame Mary Berry is one of the most knowledgeable and experienced cooks in the country, but says that one her "greatest pleasures, when it comes to food, is that there are always new ideas to discover." In her new series, Mary Berry – Love to Cook, she meets food producers, cooks and business owners from around the UK to share coveted cooking knowledge, as she’s happily “never too old to learn”. So what exactly has Mary been cooking up in 2021?

Plant-based cooking

One style of cooking that’s grown massively over the years is plant-based food. “When I was young, most people hadn’t ever heard of vegetarian, let alone vegan, but times are changing fast and I’m eager to explore,” said Mary, who has been cooking more plant-based foods this year, particularly cauliflower with lentils and pulses.

In the first episode, Mary meets with father and son team Mike and Joe, who set up a vegan pizza business in 2016. First they try scrambled tofu. “Originating in China, tofu has been around for thousands of years and it’s now hugely popular in the West,” says Mary. Mike and Joe add black salt to their scramble, which has an eggy, sulphurous taste and smell. “It can’t be bad if I’m having a second bite,” jokes Mary, while spooning another forkful.

Jackfruit, a staple ingredient from south-east Asia, is next to try. “It’s a nice base to add other things too and it’s got a good texture,” says Mary. Mike and Joe make pulled jackfruit with a barbecue sauce. “I have to say, it is really, really delicious,” says Mary, adding “I can’t say I’m a fully blown vegan yet, but there are definitely some things I’ll be adding to my larder.” Mary’s vegetarian noodle soup is an easy introduction for viewers.

Cooking for two

“I never need a reason to ask friends or family over for dinner, the more the merrier,” says Mary. But during the pandemic, entertaining was on hold. “In lockdown, I was at home with my husband,” says Mary. Instead of cooking meals for two, she wisely made the same portions and froze what wasn’t eaten for quick lunches and dinners later.

“I was doing things like burgers and fish cakes, […] and we would wrap each one individually and freeze them, so I could take two out for our supper”, she says. “I don’t want to use single-use plastic anymore, and beeswax paper is a good alternative,” she added. “It clings bowls but can also be folded and wrapped around things just like plastic film.”

Mary didn’t completely stop cooking for family, however: “I was cooking all our tested recipes [for the programme] and my daughter would come and [I’d] hand it over on the doorstep, as she only lives up the road.”

Learning from other cuisines

“There’s no better introduction to a culture than through its food [and] we are so lucky in this country to have dozens of cuisines to dip into, though a few are new to me,” says Mary.

"When I come back from perhaps a lovely restaurant meal and I’ve had something different, I come home and, now I’m terribly modern, I get my phone out and look on my phone about the ingredient.” This is how Mary was introduced to Japanese miso paste that she uses in her miso prawn recipe. “It’s fermented soya bean and the flavour is sort of aromatic and salty. [But] I’m not trying to be trendy! I’m becoming addicted,” she says.

Mary loves trying flavours that are new to her but says she only ever uses “ingredients you can get in supermarkets all over the country” so they are accessible for everyone. If she does add an ingredient that’s not commonly found in the average UK cupboard, she includes it in a variety of recipes, so you know what else to do with it.

Mary meets with cook Adejoké Bakare to get her first taste of modern Nigerian cooking. After trying ekuru, a black-eyed beans dish, and ekoki, a savoury corn pudding, Mary says “it’s totally different from anything I’ve ever tasted [and] I love it.”

Adejoké’s Brixton restaurant is called Chishuru, meaning “food so good you don’t talk”. According to the cook, you savour the food you eat as a form or respect for the person that’s cooked it because you must appreciate every mouthful. “It was a “treat to meet a fellow cook just as passionate about sharing her food as I am,” says Mary.

Mary absolutely loves revisiting her old favourite recipes. During the lockdown, even Mary was making banana bread, but now she’s given it a twist, adding carrots and courgette too.

When you enjoy a recipe, why stop making it when you can revamp? “I nearly always put something like a tart [in programmes],” says Mary, so in this series she slips samphire in her salmon tart and pops passionfruit into her classic lemon filling, to give a quick makeover to the recipes she already loves.

“One thing’s for sure; I’ll never tire of exploring new ways to cook and, of course, to eat!”

Mary Berry: Love to Cook starts Thursday 11th November, 8pm on ����ý Two or catch up on iPlayer