“Nobody thought a white girl should learn to cook in South Africa. I went to drama school. My mother was an actress, so I thought I'd be an actress.”

Dame Prudence Margaret Leith is a South African and British restaurateur, broadcaster, cookery writer, businesswoman, television personality, novelist, chef, and former university chancellor. She is best known as Prue Leith. Her work spans food, media, and writing. She has built a public career around cooking and cookery publishing, while also appearing on television and working in business. As a novelist and broadcaster, she is known for communicating clearly and practically, with a reputation shaped by her long presence in British public life.