Dame Mary Berry hopes Alison Hammond will be a good Great British Bake Off host but admits she won’t be tuning in to find out.
The chef was a judge on the show alongside Paul Hollywood, but quit when it moved to Channel 4 in 2016.
Now, she says it has a “different way of life” with its new stars.
Mary, 87, says: “I had seven wonderful years at Bake Off and it’s a wonderful format.
"It gets people and children cooking.
"I don’t actually watch it, because you can imagine, being married to me, there’s a lot of food about, so we don’t watch much cooking on telly.”
Speaking at the Cheltenham Festival, she adds of Alison: “I hope that she’s very good.
"They’ve had a good swap around since I left. But they are all good, and they bring a different way of life to the Bake Off.
“I’m still doing my normal cooking shows, which I love.
"Cooking from scratch, all very easy, and encouraging people to do what I enjoy.
"I think people are at last shopping locally, and going to local markets, and going to pick-your-own, and making the most of the less expensive things.”
The Dame, who backed winner Lossiemouth at Cheltenham, added of having a flutter at the races: “It just makes it more exciting!”
