Mary Berry says first Victoria sponge she had was made by her mother on VE Day

Former The Great British Bake Off judge Dame Mary Berry has said the first Victoria sponge cake she remembers was made by her mother on Victory in Europe (VE) Day.

The cook, best known for her recipes and baking tips, described in a video shown at the VE Day 80 concert in London how “overwhelmed” people were when the Second World War ended in Europe, saying it was what “everybody had been waiting for”.

Dame Mary said: “I can remember mum making Victoria sponge, that precious butter that she’d saved.

“She beat that with the sugar with a wooden spoon. It is the very first Victoria sponge cake that I can remember.

“VE Day was the most important day. It’s what everybody had waited for. I think people hardly could believe it, and immediately you wanted to celebrate.

“Everybody was overwhelmed by the whole situation, and they were remembering the people that had been lost.”

Dame Mary also recounted her experience living through the Second World War and hiding in a shelter during air raids.

She added: “I was living in Bart when the air raid sirens went. That’s a noise that hangs in your head for your whole life.

“We would rush out into the Anderson shelter, and you’d hear the planes over the top.

“People clung on to their families because you didn’t know what was going to happen the next night. It was scary and a very sad time.”

Dame Mary has written more than 80 cookery books, becoming a UK household name for her recipes and tips, including her recipe for a Victoria sponge cake.

In 2021 she was made a Dame Commander by the Prince of Wales for a lifetime of cooking, writing and baking and in December 2024 she was announced the winner of the lifetime achievement award at the Women In Film And Television Awards.