Dame Mary Rosa Alleyne Hunnings:
(née Berry; born 24 March 1935)
English food writer, chef, baker and television presenter. After being encouraged in domestic science classes at school, she studied catering at college. She then moved to France at the age of 22 to study at Le Cordon Bleu culinary school, before working in a number of cooking-related jobs.
Making your Christmas cake in September is perfect, as too fresh a cake crumbles when cut.
Mary Berry is advising bakers to prepare a traditional British Christmas fruitcake several months before Christmas. During storage:
– the cake settles and becomes firmer, so it slices more neatly;
– the dried fruit, spices and alcohol mature into a richer flavour;
– the moisture becomes more evenly distributed;
– the cake can be periodically “fed” with brandy or another spirit.
“Too fresh” therefore means recently baked—not spoiled—and such a cake may be softer and more likely to crumble when sliced.
đź“ś Origin:
The comment comes from the British tradition of making rich Christmas fruitcakes well in advance, commonly in September or October. Because these dense, alcohol-preserved cakes improve with age, early autumn became the customary baking period.
This is best understood as ‘practical cookery advice rather than an old proverb’.
👩‍🍳 Author:
The quotation is widely attributed to Mary Berry, the British cookery writer, baker and television presenter. It reflects advice associated with her Christmas baking recipes and writing. However, while the attribution is well established online, the quotation’s exact first publication or original broadcast is not consistently identified; it should therefore be cited as “attributed to Mary Berry” unless a specific primary source is available.
