Mary Berry's fool-proof Yorkshire pudding recipe with secret to making them rise

The festive season isn't quite the same without fluffy Yorkshire puddings drowning in gravy - and baking queen Mary Berry has shared her top-notch recipe, complete with a clever trick for sky-high puds.

They're the perfect blend of crisp and airy, and once you nail Mary's technique, your Christmas dinner will ascend to new heights. Mary Berry's expert method includes pre-cooking and reheating options, making your Christmas prep simpler.

On perfecting the pud, Mary revealed: "My recipe has changed over the years - flours have become more refined and I find I get the best rise adding more eggs and omitting a little milk. If you only have full-fat milk, replace a quarter of the milk with water."

BBC Good Food outlines the essentials for aspiring pudding perfectionists: Start by getting your oven hot at 220C, Fan 200C, Gas 7. Grab either a 12-hole deep bun tin or two 4-hole large Yorkshire pudding tins to ready your bake.

The magic begins with measuring flour and salt into a bowl; fashion a well in the middle to introduce the eggs and some milk. Mix away until it's lush and smooth, gradually welcoming the remaining milk.

Though an old-school whisk could do, an electric hand whisk truly does wonders, working up a frenzy until bubbles pop merrily on the surface. At that point, pour the batter into a jug for the next step.

Next, splash a dessert spoon of oil into each pocket of the bun tin or a tablespoon per spot in the larger tins. Pop them in the oven for around five minutes – you want that oil sizzling hot.

Pull those perfect puds out and evenly distribute the gooey good stuff into the sizzling slots. Pop 'em back in the snug heat of the oven and let them blossom into a glorious golden brown for 20-25 joyous minutes.

Serve up those beauties straight away. Mary Berry, the queen of bakes, spills another nifty tip: "The batter should be about as thick as double cream."

And for all you forward thinkers, she's got your back with freezing advice too: "The Yorkshire puddings can be made completely ahead and reheated in a hot oven for about eight minutes. The cooked puddings can also be frozen and cooked from frozen in about 10 minutes."