Alumna Mary Berry to Receive Damehood

Le Cordon Bleu would like to extend their warmest congratulations to alumna Mary Berry, who is set to receive a Damehood at the Queen’s birthday honours on Saturday 10th October 2020.

The 2020 Queen's Birthday Honours are appointments by some of the 16 Commonwealth realms of Queen Elizabeth II to various orders and honours to reward and highlight good works by citizens of those countries. The Birthday Honours are awarded as part of the Queen's Official Birthday celebrations during the month of June. In 2012 Mary had the honour of receiving a CBE.

Mary Berry has a culinary career spanning over fifty years, including magazine work, cookery demonstrations, writing books and media work. Most notably, she has been a judge on The Great British Bake Off, The Junior Bake Off, Comic Relief Bake off and Sports Relief Bake Off. In 2014 Mary's own BBC programme, Mary Berry Cooks, was aired.

Mary trained at Le Cordon Bleu’s Paris institute, going on to become the cookery editor of Housewife magazine followed by Ideal Home magazine in the ‘60s. She first appeared on television in the 1970’s presenting a cookery section on Afternoon Plus with Judith Chalmers.

Her time as a judge on The Great British Bake Off is what made Mary a household name and national treasure in the UK, and she has remained a regular feature on British screens since leaving the show in 2016. Most recently, Berry has been a judge on BBC One’s Best Home Cook and presented shows including Mary Berry’s Simple Comforts and Classic Mary Berry. Mary also has an extensive catalogue of cookery books, having penned over 75 volumes, with the release of her of most recent book, Mary Berry’s Simple Comforts, in September of this year.

Mary’s involvement with Le Cordon Bleu didn’t end after her training. In 2012, she received an Honorary Diploma from Le Cordon Bleu to thank her and as an appreciation for her vocation and contribution to the culinary arts. Then, in 2019, Mary supported the Le Cordon Bleu Julia Child Scholarship, as the main Chef Ambassador for the programme, announcing the winner of the Scholarship.