What Would Mary Berry Do?

I'm curious whether the character was inspired by the real Mary Berry or if she’s a fictional homage, and how that shaped the story’s tone.

The way the recipes and food scenes are described really brought the story to life — did that make others crave baked goods as much as I did?

It felt seamless how the protagonist’s growth was tied to her relationships and her cooking journey. I wonder if that was planned from the start or evolved during writing.