Mary Berry, the beloved British cook and former Great British Bake Off judge, has shared her secret for achieving perfectly crispy roast potatoes. Speaking on BBC2's Celebrity Best Home Cook, the 85-year-old revealed that adding semolina before roasting is the key to a crunchy exterior and fluffy interior.
Berry advises parboiling the potatoes briefly, then tossing them in semolina or scratching them to create texture. She then recommends placing them in a hot pan with goose fat for the best results. This simple hack, first shared in 2018, has become a go-to for home cooks seeking the perfect Sunday roast.
For those making Yorkshire puddings, Berry suggests using more eggs and less milk for a better rise. Her recipe, featured in her cookbook Mary Berry’s Family Sunday Lunches, has evolved over the years to adapt to more refined flours. If using full-fat milk, she recommends replacing a quarter of it with water.
Berry also shared a five-minute Victoria Sponge cake hack, using baking spread instead of traditional creaming methods. She places the spread in a bowl with sugar, eggs, flour, and baking powder, mixing until smooth. This all-in-one method works for cakes, tea breads, and biscuits, simplifying dessert preparation.
