Dame Mary Berry will serve up festive memories from the Highlands as she is joined by big names in her BBC Christmas special tonight.
Mary Berry’s Highland Christmas will debut on BBC One at 9pm.
The TV chef said she felt “totally” at home filming in the Highlands and across Scotland and she put her spin on festive recipes with a Scottish influence.
Mary manages to pack in an array of festive activities in the 60-minute special, from serving mulled wine to ceilidh dancers and creating a showstopper wreath, to spotting reindeers in their natural habitat with comedian Iain Stirling.
In an interview with the BBC earlier this month, Mary was asked if she had enjoyed her time filming in the Highlands.
“Oh I’ve loved it,” she said. “We have had some wonderful adventures in different parts of Scotland and into the Highlands.
“We have had this cold weather that we’re having but everybody is hardy in Scotland, you just dress for it. I’ve wrapped up and I’ve enjoyed being outside.
“It’s a get up and go attitude in Scotland, taking full advantage of the amazing scenery. Which has been stunning, we have had blue skies and cold days but have loved every second.”
Mary Berry cooks up a festive feast in Highland Christmas special
Mary paid a visit to Cromlix Hotel in Dunblane, owned by Andy Murray, which will also feature in tonight’s episode.
The tennis player’s grandmother, Shirley Erskine, bakes all of the shortbread served at the hotel, so she and Andy joined Mary in the kitchen to cook up a dish perfect for Christmas Eve.
Mary said she and Shirley kept “Andy in line” and taught him how to cook a smoked haddock kedgeree.
To create her classic Buche de Noel, Mary was joined by signer Emeli Sande who swaps entertaining for cooking in the festive special.
The Alford-raised singer “had a go at everything”, including piping the decorations.
One of the highlights for Mary was filming aboard the Jacobite steam locomotive on the West Highland Line.
Mary told the BBC: “I hadn’t been on the train before and it was absolutely packed with people, just like us, wanting to see the very best of the Scottish countryside.
“It was lovely, everybody was very excited about it and also a steam train, they’re not going to be here forever. It was a lovely moment in time, the sun shone through the window of my carriage and the views were breath-taking.
“We had a piper that greeted us when we arrived, which was lovely.”
Mary Berry’s Highland Christmas will air on BBC One and BBC iPlayer from 9pm tonight.
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