Mary Berry reveals she has reduced the amount of meat she eats

Dame Mary Berry has revealed she's made some changes to her diet, sharing that she and her husband are eating less meat and turning to more vegetarian meals instead.

The 91-year-old cooking legend has spent decades showing Brits how to make everything from the perfect Victoria sponge to a traditional Sunday roast.

Despite being one of the country's most recognisable food personalities, even Mary isn't afraid to shake things up in the kitchen.

She's been known as the Queen of Cakes, but Dame Mary is also an excellent home cook in general.

The former Great British Bake Off judge has opened up about how her eating habits have changed as she's got older, revealing that vegetables now play a much bigger role in her meals.

While she hasn't given up meat altogether, she's certainly cutting back.

Dame Mary Berry says she has cut back on meat and introduced more vegetables into her diet (Getty Stock)

Mary Berry explains why she's eating less meat

Speaking to The Independent ahead of the release of her latest cookbook, Mary All in One, Mary explained that she and her husband, Paul Hunnings, have tried to cut back.

"We eat less meat – we certainly eat meat and we enjoy it," she said.

"Slightly smaller portions, because we're older."

Instead, the couple have been enjoying more vegetable-based dishes, with Mary revealing that salads and hearty vegetarian dinners have become regular fixtures on their menu.

Among her favourites are an avocado Caesar salad and a roasted fennel, onion and potato bake finished with parmesan.

It seems she's particularly fond of one comforting meat-free dish.

"We have vegetarian often – humble pie is one of our favourites," she explained.

The dish features cauliflower, cheese sauce, leeks and peas, all topped with pastry.

Mary described it as a delicious midweek meal, proving that cutting down on meat doesn't necessarily mean giving up comforting food.

Dame Mary Berry has had an incredible career, and has shared just how much has changed (Photo by Eamonn M. McCormack/Getty Images for P&O Cruises)

Mary Berry says British eating habits have changed

Having worked in the food industry for more than five decades, Mary has witnessed some pretty dramatic changes in the way Brits cook and eat.

From ingredients becoming more widely available to the growing popularity of vegetarian meals, the nation's kitchens look very different from when she first started out.

And some of the foods we now take for granted weren't even available.

"When I started cooking, there wasn't even an avocado," Mary recalled.

She also pointed out that butternut squash was once far from the everyday supermarket staple it is today.

It's not just the ingredients that have changed, either.

Mary, who celebrates 60 years of marriage to Paul this year, reflected on how cooking has become a more shared responsibility in households.

"When I got married in 1966, the chaps – or partners – didn't cook very much," she said.

"Now everybody's enjoying cooking."

After publishing more than 80 cookery books, she's still finding new ways to make life in the kitchen easier.

Mary Berry, seen here taste testing crisps and mince back in 1977 (Mirrorpix)

Mary Berry shares her secret to stress-free cooking

Her latest book, Mary All in One, features 120 recipes designed to be prepared using just one pot, pan or dish.

The idea is to make home cooking less complicated, particularly for people who don't fancy spending their evenings washing up.

Recipes include chicken noodle laksa, leek and Stilton tart, fish dishes and indulgent puddings.

Mary also has some straightforward advice for anyone who finds cooking intimidating.

Rather than attempting complicated recipes with endless ingredients, she recommends starting with something simple and taking time to prepare everything properly.

She also encourages people to avoid buying unusual ingredients they'll only use once, to make life easier and create less food waste.