A biography for Prue Leithhasn’t been written yet.
“It was hugely helpful to me, being South African. I have never felt uncomfortable in posh society because I don't see what it is that I'm meant to be bowing the knee about.”
“I'm a good cook, I am not a great cook. I'm an absolute fraud.”
“Now the look of the book dictates the sale. In my day you could still buy a good cookbook in paperback with no pictures at all. I doubt if that would sell today. But those books were much used: they lived in the kitchen and got splattered with custard and gravy.”
“We had two children, who are still adored, they adore me and we're very close. Rayne was 20 years older than me. He died when he was 80, so he had a really good life.”
“I opened Leith's in Notting Hill in 1969 and it eventually worked its way into being awarded a Michelin star. At the time, there were a few women running small bistros - but I was the first woman to have a 'serious,' expensive restaurant.”
“I'm nicknamed the 'food tsar' by the press. I'm always giving my opinion on things like; 'Don't nanny children,' although children sometimes do need a nanny. Being a judge on 'Great British Menu' reinforces this image of me.”
“My grandchildren love cooking, and it doesn't have to be sweet things.”
“I am very in favour of children having a nap after lunch because then they're not whiney and grizzly by six o'clock.”
“What I want to do is produce really delicious food. I want it to look nice, because when you see food you should want to eat it. You shouldn't be saying, 'Oh my goodness, isn't the chef clever, he can weave the Eiffel Tower out of carrot sticks.'”
“I think the BBC likes to have Mary Berry and me around to rebut the charge of ageism.”
“I think women write more fully and honestly than men about heart and home.”
“I'd love to look incredibly glamorous, but I am a wholesome, comforting nanny type: I think I look like an advertisement for wholemeal flour or something.”
“I was asked if I would do 'Dancing On Ice.' I thought it'd be the perfect way to get fit, lose a lot of weight and learn a new skill. I was actually quite excited, but my team said, 'Absolutely not.' They told me I was far too old and if I fell over I would break something - and then I thought they were probably right.”
“The most followed chef is Delia Smith. She is my age and doesn't try to be entertaining, she encourages people to learn the basics.”
“I prefer pub food to posh food.”
“All I need for a perfect holiday is sun and some peace and quiet. Those make for perfect book-writing conditions.”
“I can't resist temptation of any kind.”
“At barbecues, people just like to eat a lot of meat; it's extraordinary. They eat far more than they normally would at a dinner party.”
“You can serve good food on a budget provided you don't waste it.”
“Children aren't being taught to cook or encouraged to try things or told why food is important.”