She puts chicken in her lasagne. She coats her roast spuds in semolina. She creates a full-on dishwasher tablet jacuzzi for her grimy baking trays. Mary Berry has no time for your kitchen’s rules ― she’s Mary Berry. She makes her own.

So, when she told me to put an unexpected ingredient in my beloved cottage pie, you’d best believe I listened.

Not only does she top her decadent meal with dauphinoise potatoes instead of regular mash, but she adds a couple of spoons of brown muscovado sugar to the mix, too ― and having tried it, I promise it’s worth every granule.

Why?

The sugar is added to a thyme, flour, wine, stock, and Worcestershire sauce combo that’s cooked in the oil left by cooking the mince and veggies.

After a little bit of time, it reduces into a thick, lightly syrup-y mix that coats the mine perfectly........

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