A holiday treat: 'Mary Berry' travels to Scotland to give viewers a glimpse of a 'Highland Christmas'
Dec. 23—Mary Berry has been all over the world.
For her new special, "Mary Berry's Highland Christmas," she wanted to bring it back home to Scotland.
"I've been meeting different celebrities who have Scottish ties and I've been cooking some delicious Scottish recipes, and it's all things that you might like to serve over the Christmastime, during the holidays, two special desserts, main courses to feed family and friends and even perhaps when I do fondue, it might be jolly nice to have on New Year's Eve," she says. "My mother was born in Scotland, and I love it there. We loved to visit family when I was young and a favorite when our children were growing up too. We had a lot of Scottish traditions growing up and they have stayed in our family ever since."
"Mary Berry's Highland Christmas" will air at 2 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 23, on New Mexico PBS, channel 5.1. The special will also be available to stream on the PBS app.
In the special, Berry travels to her mother's homeland, Scotland, for a magical winter adventure. Inspired by her own family holidays.
She cooks up an array of sumptuous dishes, joined by three special friends — former world No. 1 tennis player and U.S. Open champion Andy Murray; BAFTA Award-winning comedian, writer and "Love Island" narrator Iain Stirling; and singer/songwriter Emeli Sandé.
"I've always been incredibly proud of my Scottish heritage, so where better to get cozy and cook for the holidays than in the Scottish Highlands," Berry says.
The special finds Berry preparing favorite holiday dishes, many of which are inspired by her family's roots in Scotland.
On the menu is a spectacular Christmas Cranachan Pavlova Wreath, combining the traditional Scottish dessert made from oats, fruit and cream with a pavlova twist. And during a visit to Murray's hotel in Dunblane, Mary, Andy and his grandmother cook up the classic breakfast dish Kedgeree.
The holidays are meant for entertaining and Berry shares her festive Smoked Salmon and Guacamole canape recipe, followed by a Fennel and Onion Tarte Tatin.
Stirling attempts to herd some reindeer while Berry rustles up an indulgent Christmas fondue with a surprising twist.
Berry also shares her iconic Highland Beef Pie, made with Aberdeen Angus beef and pickled walnuts — which is one of her favorites.
"In Scotland, they use different cuts of meat and so we used shin of beef and made it into a wonderful tender, full-flavored pie, with pickled walnuts and a lovely pastry on top," she says. "I actually served it the other day at home when we had Sunday lunch guests. I thought I'm not going to do a roast, so I made the Highland beef pie and everybody absolutely loved it."
Berry says she enjoyed filming the special.
"I really loved filming on the Jacobite Steam Train, the scenery was absolutely unbelievable," she says. "You're going through the countryside where very few other people go. It was stunning — the sheer beauty of it, and I couldn't stop looking out the window at the hills, the views, the skies. It was a beautiful day, and that was a great highlight. Looking for reindeers in the Highlands was lovely, seeing them in their natural habitat and we were lucky to see some very young reindeers too, absolutely beautiful animals and so very soft with their warm fleece."
Berry wants audiences to take away the warmth of Scotland.
"The show is all about lovely warming dishes and an emphasis on family and including the traditions and the delicious food of Scotland," Berry says. "People will really feel the warmth from the whole program, and in the past, I have made recipes just for a couple of days over Christmas, while these can, in fact, be enjoyed at any time."
