Live webchat with Mary Berry - Tues 21 May 10-11am

Iwasframed

I sometimes need to change the quantities in recipes - to halve or double them. I feel as long as I keep everything in proportion I'm probably going to be OK. But then I never really know what to do about cooking times. Is there a rule of thumb or do you have to guess and hope?

Thanks

You have to adjust the cooking times. A cake will take longer but something like a casserole would be about the same cooking time.

GeraldineGransnet

Here at Gransnet we feel there's a dearth of older women on screen and as role models generally. Do you think of yourself as being in the vanguard? Do you think communities like Gransnet might help to make older women more visible in time?

I never think about age. I'm thrilled to be so busy at 78. I'm lucky to have a lovely, supportive family and feel well.

Banbury

Hi Mary,

I love your floral bomber jacket!

And the Great British Bake-Off is just brilliant telly. Thanks for joining us.

I'm glad you like my jacket. It's by Oasis and I often get them from Marks and Spencers, Jaeger, Phase Eight and Zara.

carbqueen

Please tell me that sometimes you can't be bothered to cook and fall back on a take away. Pleeeeeeease

For me, if I'm not feeling like cooking it's a boiled egg and brown toast, and sometimes I'll nip into Marks and Spencers and buy a complete meal for £10, or perhaps Waitrose. It's good to have a bottle of wine as well.

pamelaJEAN

Hi Mary, How exciting having this chance to "talk" to you, its just a quick question, having lost 2 stone in weight with a well known slimming club, at the group everyone raves about fat free chips, no matter how I make them, they still seem substandard to what I would expect, brown one side and white the other...!!! Nothing like my mums, in the old days, using a chip pan with lard, and any fats from the Sunday Roasts.....!!! Also have you any future plans for producing a fat free/ healthy eating cookery book? Kindest Regards Pam

I'm not an expert in various diets. I've been asked to write fat free, diabetic, coeliac, healthy lifestyle and I leave that to the specialists. I'm just about good family eating.

SwishySwoshy

What do you think of Jamie Oliver's campaign for healthier school dinners? Have you ever considered teaming up and making a real change in schools?

I think it's brilliant and he should get all the backing that he can. He is very respected and he does a very good job on his own.

NfkDumpling

Hi Mary
Sonce he retired my husband has taken over the cooking and is one of your biggest fans. He usually turns to your Complete Cook Book for the times when recipes are needed.

However, most of your savoury dishes seem to contain garlic and I have a garlic intolerance. Is there anything he could use instead? He usually just leaves it out but often it leaves the dish with the feeling of needing just that something extra.

(Oh, and would you consider leading a bring back the bun campaign? These new fangled cup cakes are all puff, wind and mock icing)

Garlic is an ingredient that can be left out. You could add something like shallots, which have a stronger flavour than onions. I'm not a huge fan of cupcakes either but they give a lot of pleasure to children, but I do encourage them not to over decorate them. The proportion of cake mixture to icing should be appropriate.