What Would Mary Berry Do? By Claire Sandy

[amazon_link id=”1447253493″ target=”_blank” ][/amazon_link]’What Would Mary Berry Do?’is the latest book by Claire Sandy.

Marie Dunwoody doesn’t want for much in life. She has a lovely husband, three wonderful children, and a business of her own. But her cupcakes are crap. Her meringues are runny and her biscuits rock-hard. She cannot bake for toffee. Or, for that matter, make toffee. Marie can’t ignore the disappointed looks any more, or continue to be shamed by neighbour and nemesis, Lucy Gray. Lucy whips up perfect profiteroles with one hand, while ironing her bed sheets with the other. Marie’s had enough: this is the year it all changes. She vows to follow – to the letter – recipes from the Queen of Baking, and at all times ask, ‘What would Mary Berry do? Husband Robert has noticed that his boss takes crumb structure as seriously as budget cuts and with redundancies on the horizon, he too puts on a pinny. Twins Rose and Iris are happy to eat all the half-baked mistakes that come their way, but big brother Angus is more distant than usual, as if something is troubling him. And there is no one as nosey as a matching pair of nine-year-old girls. Marie starts to realise that the wise words of Mary Berry can help her with more than just a Victoria Sponge. But can Robert save the wobbling soufflé that is his career? And is Lucy’s sweet demeanour hiding something secretly sour?

‘What Would Mary Berry Do?’ is Claire Sandy’s debut novel and what a delicious literary treat it is, sweet and funny from the very start, this book is the perfect tea break accompaniment.

The story is primarily seen from Marie Dunwoody’s perspective and begins at the point of the story where she has to create the ‘Showstopper’ a cake worthy to stop people in their tracks at the schools fete, unfortunately baking isn’t her forte and she is left embarrassed when her creation is shunned and her next door neighbour, goody goody Lucy turns up with a cake that not only looks but tastes amazing. Upset about the school fete, Marie then invests in a Mary Berry cookery book determined that at the next school fete, her cake would be amazing and put Lucy to shame. After the next few months, Marie then commits her life to learning to bake, investing hours of kneading and whisking until her buns and cakes are fluffiest to eat and sweetest to taste. But it’s not only Marie who has caught the baking bug, her husband Robert decides if his job is in jeopardy due to the economic climate, then he will cook his way into his boss’s heart. As the story is about the Marie and Robert and there cooking adventure, there is a really sweet addition of Angus, their eldest writing emails, to a girl who he calls ‘Soulmate’ in these emails, he talks of living at home and the drama of ‘Goth Girl’ who lives next door and is constantly hanging around with his boisterous and outspoken younger twin sisters. The story is spilt into parts, each one relating to the cake that Marie is learning to bake and with these parts, we see Marie’s confidence grow, her business thrive and make an unlikely friendship with her snooty, perfect neighbour, Lucy.

I enjoyed this story immensely, it was fun, fun, fun from the beginning and impossible to put down. All the characters are instantly likeable and relatable, which makes for even better reading pleasure. Marie was a fabulous leading lady, keen to become to a great baker, she begins to rely heavily on her new cookbook and even applies the mantra ‘What Would Mary Berry Do?’ to non-baking scenarios, with a sharp sense of humour and an intense need to be down with kids, she injects fun and frivolity to the story. Supporting characters in the book were just as fun, from her broad spoken dental assistant Aileen, to her nemesis Lucy, a quiet and meek character, who Marie actively competes with.

With a beautifully vibrant illustrated cover that definitely stands out, this book is a sweetly written story, that makes for tantalising reading ‘What Would Mary Berry Do?’ is a lovely warm-hearted tale, filled with love, wit and sweet treats and even though Mary Berry herself has nothing to do with the book, I am sure she is proud to be part of it. A wonderful new author to look out for in coming years and a must read for all Jenny Colgan fans.

You can buy [amazon_link id=”1447253493″ target=”_blank” ]What Would Mary Berry Do? from Amazon [/amazon_link] and is available to buy from good bookshops.