Mary Berry on her biggest packing mistake and favourite holiday destinations
The baking queen reveals her favourite places to holiday and why bringing back olive oil as a souvenir turned into a disaster.
The baking queen reveals her favourite places to holiday and why bringing back olive oil as a souvenir turned into a disaster.
Dame Mary Berry is the nation’s favourite baker and this year marks a special anniversary: her 90th birthday.
Her new book Mary 90 celebrates her achievements and favourite recipes, one for every year of her life. And you can watch the new BBC series Mary at 90 in which she cooks with friends old and new.
The former Great British Bake Off judge and author of more than 80 cookbooks took time to speak to Saga Magazine about baking and turning 90 and went on to share some of her travel experiences as well as her biggest packing disaster.
“My hometown, Bath. It has so much to offer. My father, Alleyne William Steward Berry, was Mayor of Bath in 1952 and contributed so much to the city in his time.
“Seventy years ago Bath was not a tourist place. Dad helped to make it what it is now and also played a major part in bringing the university to Bath.”
“I love France, we used to visit often, although we don’t go there now.
“If we’re on holiday we go to somewhere warm with a flight that is not more than four hours.
“So we go to the Canary Islands, to the same hotel at the same time every year. Lovely.”
The Canary Islands are renown as a sunshine destination, situated off the northwest coast of Africa, and boasting year-round mild temperatures and diverse natural scenery.
Saga offers hotel stays and a selection of cruises taking in the highlights of this beautiful archipelago.
“My husband!”
“Years ago I went with a press trip to Seville in Spain and I stupidly bought a bottle of olive oil, put it in my luggage, and it leaked. Oh dear. All the clothes were covered in oil. It’s the most stupid thing you could possibly do.
“I did put the oil bottle in a polythene bag with a seal, but it went over everything. And I could see from the top of the suitcase when I picked it up that something had leaked. I didn’t have so many clothes in those days, all my best things were in there.
“You can’t get olive oil out. There was nothing I could do about it. Absolute disaster.”
Seville’s orange-tree-lined streets are home to ornate medieval buildings and colourful squares. By night, try the tempting tapas at small cafes and catch impromptu flamenco performances.
Join the nine-day Spirit of Andalucia tour which also takes in Granada, Cordoba and Ronda.
Or take to the water on the Little Boats of Andalucia seven-day tour, which starts in Seville before heading south to Cadiz, Jerez de la Frontera and Sanlúcar de Barrameda.
(Hero image credit: BBC)
Your chance to explore Ireland on board Spirit of Discovery on a cruise worth £4,317pp.
Saga offers escorted tours throughout Europe and as far afield as South Africa, Japan, Canada and Australia, plus hotel stays in popular European hotspots including Spain, Portugal, Croatia and Greece.
For a limited time only, you can save 10% on all 2026 escorted tours and 10% off any hotel stay 14-nights or longer departing before March 31, 2027#.
#Terms and conditions apply.
Ancient palaces, crystal-clear seas and undiscovered budget beaches – our travel experts share the best travel destinations for 2026.
Our guide to the most remarkable places to visit in Africa, the continent of contrasts.
.jpg?la=en&h=760&w=1730&hash=3900F1F9D5EBD1961A7DFC7B29B5BA1A)
Holidays can boost your brain power, help you live longer and even relieve pain - the surprising and proven health benefits of holidays.
Autumn on Europe’s rivers is always spectacular. We’ve got the best cruises to try in 2025.
We help you beat the airlines at their own game with the cabin bag weight and size limits for the UK's seven most popular carriers.
