Baking queen Mary Berry visits Scone Palace for new TV show

Britain’s queen of baking is to feature a historic Scots building in her new TV show.

Scone Palace will offer the public a behind-the-scenes peek at stately home life when it features in a new four-part cooking series, Mary Berry’s Country House Secrets.

The historic Perthshire visitor attraction is known worldwide for being the crowning place of the Kings of Scots. In the new programme, which airs on BBC One on November 29, and former Great British Bake Off judge Mary will create dishes inspired by Scone Palace’s long, lauded heritage.

Mary Berry, William Murray and Lady Mansfield outside Scone Palace

Mary’s visit to Scone Palace takes her off the well-trodden tourist paths to meet the staff and owners, visit its gardens, private quarters and wider estate, and create sumptuous dishes in the Palace’s stunning Victorian-style Old Kitchen.

Scone Palace’s kitchen gardens – headed up by Brian Cunningham of BBC’s Beechgrove Garden – provide the ingredients for many of the dishes cooked there, including its annual festive lunches every Christmas.

Mary and her TV crew spent ten days filming at Scone Palace, which is owned by the 9th Earl of Mansfield. The Earl and Countess of Mansfield, daughter Lady Iona Murray and son William Murray, Viscount Stormont, all feature in the programme along with many of the Palace and Estate staff team.

Lady Iona Murray and Mary Berry in the kitchen

Mary is seen cooking with the Countess and Lady Iona, attends a ceilidh in the Palace and is accompanied by game keeper, Roddy MacIntosh, deer stalking on the Logiealmond hills.

Lady Mansfield said: ‘It was such a pleasure being able to show Mary and her crew around and to share aspects of our daily lives here at the Palace. The food we serve here, both publicly and privately, is wrapped up in our history, with recipes inspired by the estate and dishes passed down through generations.

‘It was inspiring to see Mary – whom I regard as one of the country’s great TV personalities and cooks – soak up our history and use it to create her own gorgeous dishes.’

Mary Berry with gamekeepers Roddy McIntosh (left) and Stewart McIntosh

The wider Scone Palace estate covers 24,000 acres. Stretching from the stunning River Tay across to the hills of Logiealmond, it provides some of the best salmon fishing, deer stalking and a wide range of agricultural and forestry activities.

Scone Palace is host to regular events throughout the year, including the Scottish Game Fair, 1980’s Rewind Music Festival and its own Spirits of Scone Halloween ‘Frightfest’. It also provides accommodation, allowing guests to experience the unique opportunity of staying within the Palace.

Other stately homes featured in Mary’s new programme, which airs on Wednesdays at 8pm beginning on November 22, include: Highclere Castle (the fictional Downton Abbey) in Hampshire; glorious Goodwood in Sussex; and Powderham Castle in Devon.

Mary Berry said: “Britain is world famous for its stately homes and when it comes to food our country houses were the tastemakers. In this series, we will sample delicious dishes inspired by the history of our great houses, enjoy the lavish hospitality these homes were celebrated for and meet the families behind them.’

Ghillie Iain Kirk and Mary Berry