Why is everyone so obsessed about her coughing over the mixture. This is TV, it probably was binned and not cooked at all, and if it was cooked, that would kill all the bugs anyway! Why are people so flaming precious days! Leave her alone, she was obviously struggling with illness, and being a trooper and not letting anyone down!

Folks, this was a live (no rehearsal) show, on a regional TV channel in the 70's...have some reasonable expectations regarding production quality..

Anybody commenting about the coughing etc, you have to remember it was a different time with completely different health and safety standards than we have today and obviously she wasn’t going to “call in sick” because that wasn’t the work ethic they had then, the show must go in and she just got in with it and I love that so much, it’s so interesting to see how different things were, plus it was an illustration of how to bake the cake for people at home, she wasn’t actually handing it out to the public to eat, it was essentially a prop, there’s no need to be so judgemental, it was a different time, put it into perspective and move on

I made a variation on this cake today, and even if I say so myself it is absolutely delicious! I used a lot less dried fruit than in Mary's recipe, part of which were raisins soaked in rum - also less sugar and less pineapple than in the recipe, and no cherries, so it wasn't such a heavy mixture. I added some ginger powder and two tablespoons of crème légère. It only took one hour to bake, and the result is a moist, fluffy and tasty cake, with a lovely pineapplely aroma to it. Adding pineapple isn't something I would have thought of doing, but it definitely transforms and ordinary fruit cake into something special!

Judith: "I suppose you could buy tins with the small, tiny little chippins in, could you?-- Mary: "You could indeed, and that would be very good & easy, but I just bought what was cheapest; now get off my back! I'm feeling SICK!

Coughs into hand. Doesn’t wash it. Ahh, I’d forgotten just how great the 70’s were!

7oz self-raising flour Pinch of salt 5oz butter 4oz caster sugar 4oz glacee cherries 12oz packet of dried fruit 16oz can of pineapple 2 eggs 2 tablespoons of milk or brandy Gas mark 3 (325F) for 2 hours in a 3lb loaf tin, or two 1 1/2 lb loaf tins.

I simply adore Mary. I so wish she had called in sick on this day. She is so ill.

Having read the comments and watch this episode. I say give poor Mary a break. She's obviously ill and not doing too well. She really should have called in sick. But didn't. Yes, she should not have coughed over everything. But when your sick, your not thinking. She's trying to get this whole thing done so fast anyway. It's ridiculous that "Good Afternoon" only gave her about 6-8 minutes for these spots. You can't rush through cooking and be able to demonstrate it well. She should have had at least 15 minutes or so for her segment. Spite all this, the recipe does look good. I'll have to give it a try, minus the cold.

I've made this cake twice and I'm going to make it every Christmas from now on. Really nice and keeps very well. Big fan of putting the pineapple in it. Haven't tried the brandy-instead-of-milk trick though.

Hahahaha omg this cracks me up I can't breath I can't stop laughing

Mary in her early days was so frightfully formal and middle class!

That thick ass cough RIGHT into the hand at the beginning 😅 lol Mary.. babe

Maaay I just have a drink of waater. It makes it very very moist indeed. Hilarious

Although Mary Berry is extremely nice and very likable for her straightforwardness and skill, she is unable to banter well. The other woman tries ... but you just can't shoot the breeze with Mary in this format. The fault here lies with Mary, not with the other woman .... But, you cannot argue with success - and Mary certainly is that! I personally love her.

I am not much of a cook...even if my family name is Cook. I love Marys talent...not nearly as complicated as Julia Child or Martha Stewart. Yes, MS. Berry isn't herself...but she marches on.

I've only ever watched her older videos and thought she had terrible arthritis but now I see that's just how she holds her hands

kindly give all the measurments

She's so elegant and beautiful .

Mary Berry is the best Cook.

Everyone that says they hate fruitcakes, never had a homemade one. The dreaded ones are those leaden mail order horror shows!

This was in 1974, things were different back then, I don't think she would be coughing on her hands & over the food now. Mary Berry & Judith Chalmers are still friends.

Wow, that host and Mary did not seem to like each other.

It's a good thing Mary's chopping skills has improved since then. It would have been much easier just to slice into the pineapple ring instead of murdering them. I guess because the cake cooks for Approx 2 hrs, it's ok to cough over your hands and the food. It may only have been a tickle in her throat, but still...I guess she'd be embarrassed about it now.

As wonderful as she is,it makes me cringe when she coughs, even in her hands. I was hoping she would wash them as to not transfer her sickness. Poor woman.

Back in the days when an Upper Respiratory Tract Infection didn't stop you from appearing on a TV cooking slot, and you infected all the staff and crew...🤣🤣🤣

means in 1974 there was no concept of clean cooking! she mixed all her germs in cake butter though!!!

I say! Beeb still had received pronounciation in force in the 70s, I’d forgotten how “posh” everyone sounded

I wonder how much flour. Oh 7oz

Who knew coronavirus was around in 1974

OMG bad days of Mary 😂

Oh God, gotta love Fruit Phlem Cake

How very formal were things back then.A very Frosty atmosphere.

Coughed into her hand then put it into the salt 😠

Mary hates her co-host

She talked more posh in those days than she does now.

If this was today I'm sure mary would not of been ask to go to work on the simple basis's on her not being well enough unbelievable

There we are. Cough, hack, cough. There we are

2019??

The days when you cough on your hands and continue cooking.

i reckon that "water" is gin 😆

watching the program I thought, because he coughs while cooking and uses his hands, the same ones he uses for cooking !!, what times those. mirando el programa pense, porque tose mientras cocina y usa sus manos, las misma que usa para cocinar!!, que tiempos aquellos.

Poor Mary! Suffering there with a bad throat.

That moist pineapple is becoming a nuisance

blarghhhhhhhhhh

"Cake Cake the food of Jake" Thets me.

Poor Mary was really ill, not a good idea in the kitchen.

Man I hop this is a spoof at the end if she's coughing on everything and her hand and touching everythingand rubbing her nose.... I'm noticing the handshaking and I am probably horrible. This does not bode well for her health and wellfare.

Why was everything just so drab and dull back then?

I smoked a cigarette to make me cough . B

She never cooked, look

Even the butter and eggs were already mixed together

She is coughing on her hands and touching ingredients yuk🙄🙄

Keeps coughing into her hand..but doesn't wash them,yuk

So she coughed Into her hand and didn't bother to wash her hands and she is handling food. Think I will pass

Mary seems very unfriendly here. The other woman is gracious and lovely but i guess time has mellowed her.

Cross contamination 🤧

Appalling. The cake, the coughing, her hoity-toity attitude. So glad Pru is on Bake Off now.

She is very Brash and rude. Poor Angela Rippon

How revolting.

It is very off putting to say the least

What a mess of a show

Disgusting!

Yuck. Very unsanitary. Being on tv she should know better and used it as an opportunity to tell people to wash hands. Hope Mary has learned since then to wash hands.