MARY Berry, 83, loves Christmas. And this year she's inviting four celebrities - Huw Edwards, Dina Asher-Smith, Eleanor Tomlinson and Joe Lycett - to fine-tune their festive cookery skills for her very own Christmas Party! Here's a sneak preview...

HOW WOULD YOU DESCRIBE MARY BERRY'S CHRISTMAS PARTY TO VIEWERS?

Viewers will most definitely have some new ideas for Christmas from what we make - and when we are actually cooking together, there are many tips for success. So like our Christmas special last year, people can have a go doing them at home.

DID YOU ENJOY COOKING WITH ELEANOR, HUW, DINA AND JOE?

I certainly did, they were great sports to take part because they had no idea what we were going to be up to and I thought they were great. They were all wonderful and they were all keen to do well - it was lovely.

WHAT DID YOU MAKE OF THEIR COOKERY SKILLS?

They weren't very experienced cooks really, but they all had a go which is what is important.

SOME OF YOUR CELEB HELPERS BROUGHT THEIR OWN SIGNATURE RECIPES. WHAT CAN YOU TELL US ABOUT THOSE?

Eleanor chose stuffing which was a really unusual thing to choose and it was really delicious. We usually stuff the front end of a turkey but she did it differently and made it all crispy and it was really delicious. Joe did his grandma's date walnut loaf - he had a little practice with it and I was very impressed.

WHAT'S YOUR SECRET TO THE PERFECT CHRISTMAS PARTY. HAVE YOU GOT ANY TIPS?

The perfect Christmas is all about planning. It is about thinking how everything will run on the day, putting some things in a freezer, doing some of the heavy shopping now, getting the tinned goods in and thinking about what you want. If you want smoked salmon, do some ordering ahead or put your orders in with local shops. I like to make a plan and think about what am I going to give everybody over the Christmas period - which recipes do they like most of mine and whether I cook that or try something new. It's all about it getting organised.

DO YOU HAVE SOME FAVOURITE CHRISTMAS MEMORIES?

Oh, I do have favourite Christmas memories. I think it's lovely when the young do a little play or sing a song - it's seeing all the young getting down to doing things. I love to see them all around a puzzle because we always do a puzzle over Christmas, where anybody at a loose end will come and sit down. The older generation [pair up] with someone younger and sit alongside each other and have a nice conversation over the puzzle.

WHAT ARE YOUR PLANS FOR CHRISTMAS DAY. ARE YOU HOSTING LUNCH THIS YEAR?

For the last couple of years, I've been to my children and I always take the turkey, which people think is odd. But I am hosting [here] this year. Everybody brings something - my daughter-in-law's mother brings the Christmas pudding, people bring canapes to have, we all do a little bit. There is always something to bring for Boxing Day, something for Christmas Eve, we share it.

HOW DO YOU TYPICALLY SPEND CHRISTMAS?

It's a family Christmas and everyone comes the night before. Some of us go to midnight service and some go to the morning service. We have lunch at 1pm and we watch the Queen's speech and then we have a jolly good walk. Then we come back for open sandwiches with leftover turkey, which we all help to get together. Boxing Day is usually a walk. We used to always play a sport, rounders or when I was young we used to play hockey and sometimes here, a friend organises rounders. It's good to do a family sport on Boxing Day.

* Mary Berry's Christmas Party will air on BBC One on Monday, December 17.