Mary Berry | How to make omelette and Salad | 1973

[@cooktheant]

To everyone saying ridiculous comments like "this looks awful" or "bet it tastes crap" remember this is nearly 50 years ago. Times were tough, ingredients were harder to come by and ways of being inventive in cooking were difficult to adapt. A woman would be expected to make these kinds of dinners for the men coming home from work, so aids like this were so beneficial to women who were unable to cook difficult things. I'd happily cook and eat this now.

[@cliveevans8221]

You are so so right....

[@Skaterbun]

46 years ago

[@countkostaki]

@TheRenaissanceman65 I've actually made this several times since I've seen this clip in the past 18 months and it's really nice. I've had it hot, cold and at room temp. It's best at room temp. But that's just my opinion :-)

[@barbydolly7645]

cooktheant 50 years ago or not, white people can't cook.

[@barbydolly7645]

TheRenaissanceman65 lmao, British people definitely can't cook.

[@therethere7543]

I used to come home from school at lunchtimes and watched this while I ate 😊❤️

[@maybeonemore]

love these old cooking shows..geared towards working class moms little time..and a limited budget. Nothing wrong the recent shows..but sometimes the recipes are a little expensive and call for ingredients I wouldn't normally have in my cupboard.

[@AugustinTomasOBrienCaceres]

maybeonemore very true. Nowadays everything is so “Diva” style

[@philipcurnow7990]

'Working class moms' with little time and money. How patronizing. We had to wait for early Delia for something realistic. At least the Galloping Gourmet was more entertaining than the frump making the omelette.

[@Snuzzled]

Don't worry, if you haven't got time to grow, peel, slice, and preserve your own heirloom organic Brandywine tomatoes, store bought is fine.

[@philipcurnow7990]

Snuzzle D not in most of 1970's Britain unfortunately.

[@philipcurnow7990]

TheRenaissanceman65 yes, only watched it for entertainment. And how such shows we done in the 70's. It's the production, presentation style and content which are interesting.

[@pegsbarton6353]

It's not been made clear, though some people have spotted it, this film was made during a time of almost continual strikes and power cuts. You could be without power of any kind for hours at a time. You couldn't boil potatoes unless it was 'your time' to have power, so we had to use tinned. No microwave ovens etc. She was also showing how to make different meals, not how to have potato omelettes with potato salad. It was Judith Chalmers constantly stirring the omelettes that ruined it, you let them gently set by themselves and they are flat and look attractive. I agree, that one looked like a pile of vomit, but trust me, at that time, trying to feed your family was a nightmare! All help and advice was a lifesaver. I had forgotten how bad it was, for months as well, not just a day or two.

[@pegsbarton6353]

@Little Dee The power was not going on and off by itself, it was a time of political unrest, unions were asking members to go on strike until certain demands were met. It took a long time, I seem to remember weeks and months of strikes. During the strikes we had no power at all. No lights, at home or in the streets. Shops were not allowed to keep display windows lit, every saving of power that could be made was used. To try and make sure everyone had some time with power to cook food, wash clothes etc the power was rationed. Certain places had power in the morning,another had the afternoon and so on. It was a long time ago but I seem to remember 4 hour stints at a time you had to plan when you had your hot meal of the day. If you missed your 'power' slot, that was it till the next time, you just ate cold food and had no lighting, in the house or in the streets. We used candles and torches, muffled up in blankets and heavy clothing, or went to bed early. It was very organized and, like now, we all tried to pull together. I found the worst part was the dustmen going on strike. Rubbish was just dumped by some irresponsible people, (there's always some who are selfish and don't think), and we got big vermin problems. The army was brought in to help deal with the situation. So many unions were on strike, it was a really difficult time but it did show us how good a job the dustmen did and made us aware of what would happen without them. It is worth looking up about that period of time, I'm sure it will be on the internet. But like this programme, we tried to come up with ideas for meals you could make quickly, because you still had to do washing and ironing whilst the power was on, it was a race to get everything done before it went off again. We managed. We always do, humans are very adaptable. Hopefully we learn something every time as well.

[@ianmcdermott9883]

@Little Dee There was a national coal miners strike at the time and most electric power stations used coal (there was some Nuclear). So consumption was restricted by the government to protect industry and perhaps also to turn public opinion against the miners' strike campaign.

[@kjb8356]

@@pegsbarton6353 Thank you for providing so much context, people overlook it so easily. I love learning from people who lived through the history.

[@pegsbarton6353]

@@kjb8356 You're welcome, though your remark about people who lived through the history hit home! Just kidding.. I'm 71 and I realise I HAVE lived through rather a lot of history but you don't feel old inside so it caught me sideways. Haha

[@cemoihonay]

Thanks Pegs, interesting to hear about.

[@cBearTV-]

Mary said "if you've just had a cut, and have nothing to cook on".... For those making silly comments please not this was filmed in a time when UK had huge industrial strife and strikes, power cuts, three day weeks, bodies left unburied, rubbish piling up in streets, and people with less than half expected wages if they hadn't been made redundant, so money was tight, and electricity was not reliable hence the recipes above.

[@evertonporter7887]

I'm glad I had an early Seventies childhood though. Back then, despite the political and economic turmoil, Mom always tells us we never went to bed hungry.

[@therethere7543]

That’s right!

[@Queen-qf2bn]

Mary Berry really ages with grace when one seen her in her younger years and now.She is truelly a gem in our nation.

[@parmdeepjagdev8395]

Love watching retro/vintage Tv shows. Highly entertaining and amusing, when you see how society and life has changed over the years. These shows were all about real home cooking that was economical as well. Cooking might be more refined these days but simple old fashioned cooking always stands the test of time.

[@sachinchahal4131]

Wow, Mary Berry looks absolutely amazing back in 1973. She would've been 38 back then. Love her RP or Queen's English accent.

[@Sunshine-zm1fx]

I miss housewifes teaching other housewives how to cook. We may never see these kinds of cooking shows again. Thanks for posting this!

[@richardbouska1504]

Baxter So true now we have shows with housewifes showing other housewifes how to twirk and cheat on husband's!

[@PureNightfall]

Maybe because those husbands never learned to cook for themselves like adults.

[@Skaterbun]

Sunshine today's tv is dominated by male chefs, ironic really when families seem to have lost the art of reusing leftovers and cooking from scratch and would rather eat fast/convenient foods.

[@Sweetthang9]

I'd rather watch cooks teach me how to actually cook. These programs were great and perfect for the time in which they were made, but now people expect classic technique and useful basics....the internet is for recipes like this.

[@wintermcqueen6933]

Cooking shows are just less common now, unless they're competitions. Just happened, but KZbin and recipes replaced that tbh

[@demonicsweaters]

I love her voice

[@andreaberger7795]

I just adore these shows. The unsofisticated way they cooked in former times

[@jbland3509]

Slag

[@patcola7335]

This is unpretentious and how most people would cook in their daily lives.

[@chrishopkins209]

"The men or the boys don't find it filling enough"....oh you can tell that this is the 70s!!!!!!!!!!!

[@uszatku9417]

Yes...she’s rather offensively acknowledged there’s a difference between men/boys and women/girls. How very dare she!!!

[@herefordguy]

Men need more calories a day than women. About 200 more I believe.

[@jemmajames6719]

That pan of food would just be enough for one of my lads, it fed a family of four?

[@cemoihonay]

Love it.

[@Devilfromthecaucusmountains]

@@jemmajames6719 That is why people are overweight & obese now.

[@atiqaskhan4018]

such beautiful voice..

[@sciflyernineteensixtynine6950]

are you kidding ? its like a screech

[@aprilhnin9180]

Mary is a legendary, I really respect her, love from Myanmar.

[@user-wu6xl4wq5q]

April Hnin .

[@Aaron-td6vh]

YEAH SHE WAS HOT BACK THEN LOL.

[@evertonporter7887]

@@Aaron-td6vh Judith Chalmers as well..😃

[@mkite715]

I love how it’s in HD. We’re so used to seeing stuff from the past look grainy or old. It looks like it could’ve been filmed yesterday.

[@simonbone]

It's not in HD. It was recorded on videotape, which looks great if preserved correctly. Search YT for An Evening with Fred Astaire, the oldest broadcast colour videotape, from 1958, or the Edsel Show, the oldest videotape of all, from 1957.

[@jbland3509]

480p ain't HD but I know what you mean

[@evertonporter7887]

@@jbland3509 I still watch some youtube videos in 480p just for fun.

[@odenviking]

I am glad to se real recipes and a very skill ful cook, and geting good tips. Since iam a sutdent every sek counts. Thanks for uploading this cooking programs. I am born in the mid 70 ties in Sweden.

[@tom_something]

Do you know what? I think that's absolutely scrummy.

[@chinchilladivine81]

Tom Haflinger And Mary was doing Brussels slaw before it was cool!

[@richardbouska1504]

Back when TV was wholesome!

[@welshblush]

Mary Berry is an absolute legend. I love her so hard. Even though she looks to be wearing a wax tablecloth for an apron. The love is still solid!

[@jamesrichardson4604]

It's a pvc coated apron, so you can wipe it clean,

[@welshblush]

@@jamesrichardson4604 thanks for explaining! I've never heard of them before.

[@devdattajoshi1949]

I appreciate the video, it gives a glimpse of what it was during those times. They liked what they liked and tastes change over time so it's probably natural we wouldn't cook like this, but it's still a perfectly good food video.

[@austinklein1172]

Wow!! I'm not British but I would of loved to watch this as a kid.Thankfully there's the internet and I can now. Mary Berry is a Beautiful Lady. Then and Now

[@stephenguppy7882]

Yes. This is over 50 years ago. Mary Berry was, and still is, incredibly relevant. I always used up leftovers in omelettes, pasta bakes, pies, almost anything. I improvise all the time. In 2024 we are as impoverished as we were in the 70s, so we have to be frugal.

[@zeddeka]

People watching this video really need to put it in context. It was made during the "Three Day Week" in 1973. The country was brought to its knees by a miners strike, which meant power stations had to close and electricity was severely rationed. People only worked three days a week because of it, and spent their evenings in candlelight because the electricity only came on at specific times. Basic foodstuff was hard to come by as the shops had very restricted opening times and couldn't refrigerate things for long, and many people were struggling for money because they were only working three days. The recipe here isn't meant to be amazing haute cuisine. It's meant to show a means to cook something very cheap and filling, using little electricity.

[@robster773]

Good advice to prepare a meal during the Power Crisis of 1973/74

[@snowmoon8050]

Wow.. Mary Berry when she's young. She still looks beautiful now.

[@Jack-ry7fl]

Ewwwww gross

[@Nails_By_Kimberlee]

She *is* still very beautiful now.

[@nelsonricardo3729]

Class then. Class now.

[@gaggymott9159]

It's crazy to realise that this upload was originally produced in March 1973. I was less than a month old at this stage, and SO tasty! Thank you Dame Mary in 2022👍👍👍👍❤❤❤

[@Sweetthang9]

"spoon with a sawn off end" lol

[@emmasearle6476]

I suddenly understand why my mum makes salad and omelette the way she does.

[@plumoplum]

Poor thing!

[@DavidEFarner]

Emma Searle 🤢

[@lifeisblessed4802]

49 years later she still the Godmother of cooking

[@JVerschueren]

Never thought to use Brussel sprouts in slaws, that could be quite interesting.

[@DavidEFarner]

Jan Verschueren its yummy.

[@annoldham3018]

Yes. They shred easily. My sister hates sprouts but done like this finds them more palatable. I like to shred them and stir fry them in olive all with either pancetta or chestnuts or both. Depends if I'm cooking for meat eaters or vegetarian or vegan guests. Great to mix it up.

[@sunkat76]

they are also delicious chopped up and added to your stir fries. Cooks beautifully and packs flavour.

[@queendaily3648]

Notice she said rations left to stretch for family... This was during hard times

[@brendanpilkington1446]

Just made this. Diced a few boiled potatoes I had left over from dinner before and added grated cheese to the eggs in the pan with the potatoes. Was absolutely delicious

[@TheCMLion]

I know Mary Berry has been writing cookbooks for many years, but I only know of her from the Great British Baking Show on PBS in the States. It's lovely to see her when she was such a young thing. I want to make that omelet!

[@chaosdream21]

she's even more beautiful now, 50 years later. i adore her.

[@ChrisHopkinsBass]

Judith "Look Mary, I've got an OBE".........Mary *flashes her CBE like a boss*

[@levimacdonald5188]

GREAT early Mary AND Judith TOO ..Like THE willow pattern crockery behind her on display..💯

[@YourJellyFishAteMyTV]

lol Judith has the same hair style now.. btw Mary is adorable in the 70s.. jolly good

[@saeedurrahman2056]

She was 38 in that video now she's 85

[@rangelov6167]

Wow great idea to use the Brussels. I love these old shows.

[@Nails_By_Kimberlee]

Mmmm, that "omelette" looks yummy and I'd love to have one of those graters that fits over a bowl!

[@dbeazrn3934]

Newly obsessed with the British Baking Show & Mary Berry. She is so honest, yet kind with her opinions. I like that man judge too sometimes, but he’s not very good at building confidence. Nothing wrong with being honest, but tell,in someone their pastry, cake, etc. looks like rubbish is a bit much. I would much rather have a handshake or a pat on the hands from Mrs. Berry than that man judge...yes, I know his name and he is a brilliant baker. Blessings. ❤️🙏🏼❤️

[@louiscaruso4167]

It's a jolly good way to make a proper meal.

[@IvyIvz17]

Everything are classics I love it

[@evag2726]

Judith Chalmers didn't sound much different in the 90s on Wish you were here... Mary sounds ever so posh, of course ;)

[@justintai8725]

Amazing love Mary berry

[@showjumper8384]

Wow two months before I was born. Mary is a legend ♥️

[@gaggymott9159]

Same here....Children of the 70's 👍

[@Angel-tw3ko]

@@gaggymott9159 me three 05/73

[@joansmith3296]

6 eggs. Ham. Bacon. Onion. Green pepper. A good cheese that melts easily, Swiss is good. Or gouda That's the standard omelette here in America. The potatoes go in the side, hash browns which are shredded seasoned and browned. Or home fries, which are potato chunks, seasoned in oil, salt and pepper and a little paprika. They can be baked too if you want to skip the oil.If you don't mind the fat and want more flavor add butter to the frying. Delicious.

[@zeddeka]

You have to put this video in context. The video was made at the height of the three day week, when the country effectively closed down because the miners had gone on strike and coal powered power stations closed. Industry only got power for three days a week and electricity at home was very limited. People had to stock up on candles, and the country was on its knees. This recipe is designed to help people save money and electricity in very difficult times.

[@aidanbowe3866]

Aahhh. The days before Judith Chalmers turned orange.

[@ivanahavitoff7308]

Hello Margary. Hello Joan.

[@sparkandflame]

Oh dear the lady stirred it abit tooo much and made it into scrambled eggs, BUT I love it because back then these programmes were not heavily if at all edited, Ofc Mary wanted to demonstrate an omelete and to cut it into quarters but oh well :D Bet it tasted just as scrummy back then as it would do today

[@allanfisch]

I love watching these ladies and I wonder, if the focus I see on thrift/economy, which anyone could use at anytime, even in prosperous times, is a residual quality of these women being raised during or post wartime ratiioning, etc?

[@zeddeka]

This video was made during the "three day week" in Britain. The miners went on strike and as a result, coal powered power stations had to close down. Power was highly rationed and people only worked three days a week as a result. The electricity at home only came on at certain times. Naturally, people were highly concerned about saving energy and money.

[@Danlikesyou]

I as a man would love this meal!

[@petermills542]

TheRenaissanceman65 you are a graceless oaf.

[@Amy-iu3wc]

Mary Berry is really a sweetheart.

[@saeedurrahman2056]

She was 38 in that video now she's 85

[@Surferchick90265]

She’s so LOVELY 😊 🇬🇧♥️

[@mattwiggin9458]

Dont forget to add lashings of tomatoes and jolly good ginger beer love mary berry xx ilove her so much

[@luckysol7486]

HOW LOVELY !

[@stefankoch1517]

She opened the eggs on her own omg she never did so much during her recipes, everything was always prepared

[@csteele24]

this just makes me realize how much I overeat. I might eat half of that thing if I was really hungry and its supposed to be for 4 people.

[@DavidEFarner]

csteele24 yes. Cut back.

[@Maerahn]

There are vast industries devoted to making people eat and drink more than they should these days, in ways that no-one would ever suspect. Forget about the fast food industries - they're the obvious culprits - it's the ones who do it by stealth that need to be watched. Anything marked as low fat will have tonnes of sugar and/or salt in it instead, because you have to have at least one of the Addictive Triangle in there to get people to eat it (when a food is marked low in one, you can bet it'll be high in at least one of the others.) Many of the artificial sweeteners in foods and ESPECIALLY soft drinks are designed to 'train' your brain to want more of them; our brains are still pretty primitive, so when we taste something sweet we're wired to expect a huge hit of energy from the food that contains that level of sweetness. But of course sweeteners are empty calories, so the brain responds by thinking "I'm not getting the energy I should from this - I need more!" And, over time, things with actual sugar in them that were once sweet enough for us to only want a little of them (like cakes, biscuits and such,) with the 'training' of the sweeteners enable us to eat much more/bigger portions of them than we used to before feeling satisfied. But even more sneaky... the crockery and serving dishes sold these days are HUGE compared to those of even the last century, and definitely from those in the 1970s, when this programme was first made - I know this because I have some dinnerware handed down to me from my mum. Honestly, the old dinner plates are the same size as the side plates they sell in dinner sets now, the old cereal bowls are half the size and depth of today's bowls, and the old side plates are literally the size of a saucer.

[@BBC600]

I do like it when you post Mary Berry videos. Are there any more in the archives?

[@123brownjames]

Wow this is amazing 😄😄😄

[@anthonycaraballo6547]

Jolly good.

[@wilsel1394]

Victoria Wood watched this

[@tangerinefizz11]

She was so young!

[@snowflakemelter1172]

" I'm the cook now" don't mess with the Berry.

[@shlokamsrivastava6782]

Lovely voice

[@dannidunn9302]

Looks yummy!

[@octaviussludberry9016]

The portions are so small compared to today. That omelette would be for one person nowadays. Coming off the back of rationing, people savoured what they had.

[@bevmchugh5903]

Mary berry just gets more beautiful with age x

[@sheisveryfamous]

“My poonani tastes like a fondant fancy” - Mary Berry CBE, 2019

[@cliveevans8221]

My mum used to watch this programme

[@annother3350]

Sprout Coleslaw - I'm trying that!!

[@READYTEDDYBEAR]

I wasn't alive when this was originally broadcast. 😮

[@mangalarebel251]

READYTEDDYBEAR you mean you weren’t born yet

[@zeddeka]

And? Every generation who ever lived could have said that about something.

[@as9419as]

it's looks really good even for now...

[@porkscratchings5428]

I remember this meal that we had like this exactly the same, I see where my mother got if from now. But we substituted lobster with the bacon as my mother was working as a stripper for Paul Raymond on a good income.

[@erickincaid9779]

What is a "stripper for Paul Raymond?"

[@thenewsaint04]

@@erickincaid9779 Must be to do with interior decorating ... women were not just housewives in the 70s ...

[@betamartines4238]

Wow!!!!! una genia 😁😁😁 ( es la misma cara no ha cambiado nada )

[@alexrodgers9247]

All I have to say is, Mary Berry is a real cutie! At any age! Goodonya.

[@markleneker9923]

Practical but not bland cooking -- especially for a time when things were tight in the UK (and US and many other places).

[@mp-lz4he]

Kitch plastic grater...oh the 70s 💗

[@mp-lz4he]

So you don't see graters like that these days....that's what....DUHHH

[@mp-lz4he]

Really...you having a bad day? Got nothing better to do but troll comments and exhibit your anger? Lmao

[@mp-lz4he]

You poor thing. Take your meds and go sit in the sun 😂😂😂😂

[@saeedurrahman2056]

She was 38 in that video now she's 85

[@hebneh]

She's so young...but I was much younger in 1973 too. Obviously.

[@unflair]

violent whisking?

[@danw1374]

The cooking instructions always say 'Stir and recover' How tiring do they think stirring is😂

[@crunchyribcage5596]

That looks Yummy, I would eat it

[@curiousaboutanything2454]

Please upload more cooking shows from 70s . If possible from 60s , that'll be great.

[@Knappa22]

Judith at 2:31 : “I’m enjoying myself here” [I feel like I’m one of the servants]

[@mellymeltheoriginal]

Want a grater like that!

[@hildalolly4245]

Melissa Wiechmann - Me too! And a sawn-off spoon.

[@rogermoore27]

I remember whisks with that colored handle

[@bumlessdino1916]

Good old Mary berry

[@jow6845]

Lot of salt! apart from that - Yum! That celery needed washing....eek.

[@ozvoyager]

More a frittata than an omelette, Mary!

[@ozvoyager]

LOL. i.e. frittata

[@ozvoyager]

You can call lasagne chocolate mousse, but it's still lasagne.

[@francisgoddard2767]

I would definitely have given her one bin the day

[@cozyvamp]

I want that grater! ;)

[@AxelSituation]

Economical cooking was how most cooking shows were focused back 50, 60, and 70 years ago. Today they would be adding truffle oil or pomegranate seeds or some other ridiculously expensive ingredients that the average housewife would not be able to afford.

[@andrewxin1740]

2:46 Im the captain now

[@LeClaw]

train-wreck cuisine at it's finest :D Mary Berry leading the way. Might look horrible but damn it'll taste good.

[@jamesevanperez536]

Dear future husband, you and I will not leave the kitchen, Xo

[@fraserkatie]

If she doesnt get the omelette out of the pan it will spoil in five minutes like she said!

[@manelsevilla7200]

I'm not British but I think May Berry's cuisine age so much better than Fanny Cradock. Mrs. Cradock was really charismatic and funny but her dishes seemed outdated even in 70's.

[@jackstratton3322]

she was 38 in this

[@nursegrace7492]

How dare she tell Our Mary Berry they’re out of time ? !

[@MsSweetLoquita]

Wow i was 5 years old wink

[@MultiVince95]

Nice

[@raspberrymojitogirldec]

Looks good I would wash celery though