Mary Makes It Easy review: Old pals, bottle of red, Mary Berry cooking... it's the perfect picnic! writes CHRISTOPHER STEVENS

Mary Makes It Easy

Inside The Tower Of London

Hard to judge that Mary Berry was 5 years aged erstwhile nan Blitz began. The queen of baking, calved successful 1935, is bubbling pinch nan power of a female half her age.

I'm not being ungallant. She told america herself, arsenic she prepared a creamy crockery connected Mary Makes It Easy (BBC2), that she tin ne'er chop a mushroom without remembering really her dada utilized to turn them successful their cellar during nan war. 'It was a small spot of luxury to person thing that was homegrown,' she said.

At 88, she's arsenic spry and crisp arsenic she was erstwhile Bake Off launched successful 2010. Her relationship pinch Mel Giedroyc has survived nan show's defection to Channel 4, and nan 2 group disconnected for a camping travel beside nan Thames pinch a car-load of cooking utensils.

They put up a tent, waved to boaters connected nan river, sewage done a vessel of reddish vino and cooked spaghetti pinch veg ragu, followed by a gooey parfait pinch a raspberry coulis. As picnics go, it was thoroughly civilised without being impractical, a explanation that mightiness fresh Mary herself.

Mel fto america cognize pinch a wink that they mightiness not really walk nan nighttime successful that tent, arsenic if anyone could person imagined they would. But if nan camping vacation was a spot of fiction, nan camaraderie betwixt nan 2 is not. Completely astatine ease, they teased and gossiped, pinch Mary feeding Mel nan set-ups for punchlines arsenic good arsenic meals.

Mel called her 'Bezza' and praised nan operation of flavours successful nan parfait: 'You get your sharpness and you get your sweetness.'

'You'll beryllium connected MasterChef next,' Mary retorted drily.

As connected Bake Off, a small repartee goes a agelong way, and nan jolly jinks paused respective times truthful we could spot Mary backmost successful her kitchen, demonstrating a elemental topping for toasted ciabatta and giving america a look for chickenhearted tartiflette, a one-dish French look pinch onions and potato.

There was besides clip for a crippled of croquet and a chorus of Ging Gang Goolie. 'I'm channelling nan Girl Guide I ne'er was,' Mel declared happily. 'Do I get a cooking badge?'

'I'll conscionable spot really you go,' Mary told her firmly. She really doesn't guidelines immoderate nonsense.

There was chickenhearted connected nan menu, too, for nan ravens connected Inside The Tower Of London (Ch5), aliases chicks astatine slightest — scattered connected nan crushed arsenic snacks for nan 8 celebrated feathered residents, by ravenmaster Chris Skaife.

Threatened by a nationwide outbreak of avian flu, they were confined to an aviary. It's ironic that nan ravens, symbols of nan Tower itself, should beryllium banged up there. To support them entertained, Chris devised games specified arsenic hiding dormant mice successful integrative bottles. Gruesome it whitethorn be, but that's successful keeping pinch nan castle's gory history.

Chris wore a polythene hazmat suit, which helped trim nan threat of infection, though it isn't nan accepted attire of yeoman warders, aliases beefeaters. His comrades were parading for nan past clip successful their uniforms pinch nan reddish and golden insignias of Elizabeth II — now replaced pinch nan King's cipher, CIIIR.

Beefeaters must beryllium nan astir heavy equipped stand-up comedians successful nan world. This show, now successful its sixth series, reveals their polished patter. 'Who's up for a communicative pinch a happy ending?' 1 asked nan tourists. 'Okay, spell sojourn location other then!'

'We sewage a book filled pinch 80 years worthy of daft questions asked by visitors to nan Tower,' announced different successful a stentorian bellow. 'The Tower of London . . . was not built by a wizard!'