The Sunday Times Magazine - UK (2022-05-01)

WORDS OF WISDOM

Best advice I was given

Just go for it — whatever

you do

Advice I’d give

People ask for advice but

don’t take it. You can learn

so much from others

What I wish I’d known

How wonderful music is

— my parents didn’t play

any in our house

ANDREW CROWLEY / THE TELEGRAPH

L

eith was born in

Cape Town. She

studied at the

Sorbonne in Paris

before moving to

London in 1960

to attend the Cordon Bleu

Cookery School. In 1975 she

founded Leiths School of

Food and Wine. She has

written several cookery books

and novels, and since 2017

has been a judge on The Great

British Bake Off. Her first

husband was the author

Rayne Kruger, who died in

2002. They had two children,
      Daniel Kruger, the MP for
      Devizes, and Li-Da, a
      Cambodian adoptee who
      now works as a film-maker.
      In 2016 Leith married John
      Playfair, a retired fashion
      designer, whom she lives
      with in the Cotswolds.

I’d love to start every day with

porridge and kippers but my

constant worry is being a stone

overweight. I am always trying

to skip meals — I have to

exercise twice a week, rather

begrudgingly. Now I have this

horrid device on my wrist to

show how many steps I’ve

taken. Fortunately if I cook all

day it’s roughly 10,000.

My brilliant husband, John,

does so much for me during the

week, allowing me time to focus

on work, often sitting in front of

a laptop. We kept separate

houses for years, then sold both

and risked living together. John

was quite untidy and I liked the

selfishness of being on my own.

I didn’t have to worry about

crumbs in the bed or who was in

charge of the TV remote.

I’m involved with lots of

charities and boards, but when

the chance came to join Bake

Off I didn’t think twice — even

as a 77-year-old. Life since has

been very busy and John did get

quite stroppy recently because

we weren’t seeing any of our

friends. He was right, so we sat

down and filled our diaries with

dinner parties and lunches.

I make a coffee at 11 and then

we gather in the kitchen for

lunch. I’m the leftovers queen

— I can turn almost anything

into edible food. We often eat

soup that I’ve made and frozen,

with some cheese or a salad.

Cooking wasn’t a part of my

early life in South Africa, but

I was greedy. I had an ear

operation aged six at the same

time as Mum was giving birth

to my brother, James. When

I woke up from the anaesthetic

my nanny asked if I would like

to meet my new brother.

I replied, I would prefer a banana.

I wasn’t really aware of

apartheid as a child. We had

lovely servants whom I

remember with huge affection.

My nanny, Emma, was a big,

loving presence. Charlie, the

cook, could have taught me so

much but it never occurred to

anybody to put me in a kitchen.

As a teenager I was arrested

in Cape Town for campaigning

against apartheid and I felt really

proud of myself. I was taken to

a police station and thought a

night in jail would do my street

cred no end of good. Ultimately

the policeman asked me a few

questions and let me go.

I didn’t discover my passion

for cooking until I moved to

Paris to learn French. I thought

I would be a UN translator but

fell in love with cuisine instead.

In London I started a high-end

catering business. I bought a

Mini with blacked-out

windows, just so I felt like a pop

star, delivering sausages and

listening to Lucy in the Sky with

Diamonds at full blast.

I opened my own restaurant

[Leith’s] in Notting Hill in 1969.

It was a rough area then and only

started to pick up when Tina

Turner bought a house opposite.

There were few female chefs

around and I think that’s why it

was so successful. When I look

at the menus now I’m horrified

at what basic stuff we offered.

I’m very conscious of how

lucky I am to be involved with

Bake Off at my age. Sometimes

I think I’m forgetful but I know

I’m definitely more wobbly.

I don’t suppose I will want to

do Bake Off for ever.

I still love cooking. So when

John and I sit down for supper

I really enjoy making something

special like confit of duck. I only

regret that, instead of sitting at

the dining table, we now eat in

front of the television on two

reclining chairs. You can be sure

I’ll be teased about that when

Paul Hollywood finds out n

Interview by Jeremy Taylor.

Prue Leith is working with the

cybersecurity experts Avast

to help people understand

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com/acceptallcookies

A LIFE IN THE DAY

Prue Leith

Chef and Bake Off judge, 82

58 • The Sunday Times Magazine*