Dame Prue Leith is the South African-British cook, restaurateur, cookbook author and television personality widely recognised as one of the defining figures of British fine dining across the past five decades. Born 18 February 1940 in Cape Town, South Africa, Leith moved to London in the early 1960s and opened Leith’s restaurant in Notting Hill in 1969, which grew into a Michelin-starred London fine-dining institution. She founded Leith’s School of Food and Wine in 1975, and wrote more than 20 cookbooks and nine novels across her career. In 2017 she joined The Great British Bake Off as co-judge alongside Paul Hollywood when the programme moved to Channel 4, and she remained in the role continuously through Series 16 in 2025.
In late January 2026 Leith announced her departure from The Great British Bake Off after nine seasons and was replaced by Nigella Lawson, who will judge alongside Paul Hollywood from Series 17 in 2026. Leith, aged 86, cited a desire to work less and play more and concerns about falling on set. She continues to tour for her new book Being Old and Learning to Love It, with events scheduled through April 2026, and was made Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 2021 in recognition of her services to food, broadcasting and charitable causes. The Begin Again with Davina McCall interview in March 2026 covered her Bake Off departure, her second marriage at age 70, and her new book.
TL;DR
- South African-British cook born 18 February 1940 in Cape Town, South Africa
- Opened Leith’s restaurant in Notting Hill, London in 1969 (Michelin star in 1983)
- Founded Leith’s School of Food and Wine in 1975
- Great British Bake Off co-judge Channel 4 era 2017-2025 (nine series)
- January 2026: Announces departure from Bake Off at age 86
- Replaced by Nigella Lawson from Series 17 in 2026; Being Old book tour continues
Prue Leith key facts
| Born | 18 February 1940, Cape Town, South Africa |
| Full name | Dame Prudence Margaret Leith DBE |
| Nationality | South African-British |
| Training | Le Cordon Bleu Paris; University of Cape Town; self-directed culinary training in London |
| Defining restaurant | Leith’s, Notting Hill, London (opened 1969; Michelin star 1983; later owned by others) |
| Defining school | Leith’s School of Food and Wine (founded 1975) |
| Bake Off role | Co-judge Channel 4 era 2017-2025; departs after Series 16 (announced January 2026) |
Early life and training of Prue Leith
Leith was born Prudence Margaret Leith on 18 February 1940 in Cape Town, South Africa. Her mother Margaret was an actress and her father Sam Leith was a businessman. Leith grew up during the apartheid period and has spoken in multiple interviews, including the March 2026 Begin Again with Davina McCall interview, about the experience of growing up in apartheid South Africa and the way it shaped her later political views and her charitable work on food-system issues.
Leith enrolled at the University of Cape Town to study history before moving to Paris in her early twenties, where she discovered fine French cooking and trained at Le Cordon Bleu. She moved to London in the early 1960s and began working as a dinner-party caterer, initially cooking in her own kitchen and delivering to private clients across central London. The catering operation grew rapidly, and by the late 1960s Leith had established Leith’s Good Food as a corporate-catering business serving boardroom lunches in the City of London.
In 1969 Leith opened Leith’s restaurant on Kensington Park Road in Notting Hill, a small fine-dining restaurant that grew rapidly in the early 1970s and became one of the defining London fine-dining restaurants of the period. Leith’s earned a Michelin star in 1983. In 1975 Leith founded Leith’s School of Food and Wine, the cookery school that would become one of the most prestigious British cookery-school institutions, training generations of UK professional chefs and home cooks. The school continues to operate in 2026 under separate ownership.
Prue Leith career timeline
- 18 February 1940: Born in Cape Town, South Africa
- Late 1950s: Studies history at University of Cape Town
- Early 1960s: Moves to Paris; trains at Le Cordon Bleu
- Mid-1960s: Moves to London; begins dinner-party catering
- Late 1960s: Establishes Leith’s Good Food corporate-catering business
- 1969: Opens Leith’s restaurant on Kensington Park Road, Notting Hill
- 1975: Founds Leith’s School of Food and Wine
- 1983: Leith’s restaurant earns Michelin star
- 1990s: Sells Leith’s restaurant and school; begins cookbook and novel-writing career in earnest
- 1993: Publishes Leith’s Cookery Bible with Caroline Waldegrave
- 2000s: Multiple BBC and Channel 4 cookery television appearances
- 2010: Husband Rayne Kruger dies
- 2016: Marries second husband John Playfair at age 76
- 2017: Joins The Great British Bake Off as co-judge when the programme moves to Channel 4
- 2017-2020: Bake Off Channel 4 Series 8 through 11
- 2021: Made Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE)
- 2022: Campaigns publicly for assisted-dying legislation in the UK
- 2024: Bake Off Series 15 airs on Channel 4
- 2025: Publishes Being Old and Learning to Love It
- September 2025: Bake Off Series 16 premieres on Channel 4 (Leith’s ninth and final series)
- Late January 2026: Announces departure from Bake Off at age 86 after nine series
- Late January 2026: Nigella Lawson confirmed as Leith’s replacement for Bake Off Series 17 in 2026
- March 2026: Begin Again with Davina McCall interview on Bake Off departure and new book
- April 2026: Being Old book tour events continue; Leith continues writing and public-speaking work
Prue Leith signature style: classical British fine dining and rigorous home cookery
Leith’s central argument, developed at Leith’s restaurant in Notting Hill from 1969 and refined across 50+ years of cookbook writing, cookery-school teaching and television work, is that British fine dining can combine classical French technique with serious home-cookery rigour. The Leith’s School of Food and Wine, founded in 1975, has trained generations of UK professional chefs and home cooks on this approach, and Leith’s 20+ cookbooks including Leith’s Cookery Bible (1993) have extended the same argument across British home kitchens.
The second defining element is the nine-year Bake Off co-judge run from 2017 to 2025. Leith replaced Mary Berry when the programme moved from BBC One to Channel 4, and she served alongside Paul Hollywood across nine series. Her judging register, warm but technically precise and occasionally caustic about weak bakes, became one of the defining voices of Channel 4-era Bake Off, and the late January 2026 departure announcement after nine series marked the end of one of the longest continuous Bake Off judge runs.
The third pillar is the writing and broader public-cultural work. Leith has published nine novels alongside more than 20 cookbooks across her career, and her 2025 Being Old and Learning to Love It extends her writing into non-fiction on ageing. She has campaigned publicly for assisted-dying legislation in the UK, works on food-system issues including school meals, and continues her book tour through April 2026.
Notable Prue Leith work
Several Leith projects have become reference points in British fine dining and cookery education. Leith’s restaurant in Notting Hill (1969-1990s) was one of the defining London fine-dining restaurants of the 1970s and 1980s and held a Michelin star from 1983. Leith’s School of Food and Wine, founded in 1975, has trained generations of UK professional chefs and home cooks. Leith cookbooks include Leith’s Cookery Bible with Caroline Waldegrave (1993), Leith’s Vegetarian Bible (2002), Leith’s Fish Bible (2011), and multiple other collections. Her novels include Relish (2012) and A Serving of Scandal (2011). The 2025 Being Old and Learning to Love It is her latest non-fiction book. Television output includes My Kind of Food on Channel 4 (2006), Great British Menu judging (2006-2016), and The Great British Bake Off on Channel 4 (2017-2025).
Prue Leith awards and recognition
- 1969: Opens Leith’s restaurant on Kensington Park Road, Notting Hill
- 1975: Founds Leith’s School of Food and Wine
- 1983: Leith’s restaurant earns Michelin star
- 1993: Publishes Leith’s Cookery Bible with Caroline Waldegrave
- 2006: Becomes Great British Menu judge on BBC Two (through 2016)
- 2017: Joins The Great British Bake Off as co-judge on Channel 4
- 2021: Made Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE)
- 2025: Publishes Being Old and Learning to Love It
- September 2025: Bake Off Series 16 premieres (ninth and final series)
- Late January 2026: Announces Bake Off departure at age 86
- Late January 2026: Nigella Lawson confirmed as replacement for Series 17 in 2026
- March 2026: Begin Again with Davina McCall feature interview
- April 2026: Being Old book tour continues; Leith continues writing and public-speaking work
Prue Leith impact on British food culture
Leith’s most concrete contribution is the combined Leith’s restaurant and Leith’s School of Food and Wine across the 1969-1990s period. The restaurant was one of the defining London fine-dining restaurants of the 1970s and 1980s, and the cookery school has trained generations of UK professional chefs and home cooks continuously since 1975. The combined institution-building work is among the most sustained contributions to British fine dining and cookery education across the past half-century.
The second contribution is the nine-year Bake Off co-judge run from 2017 to 2025. Alongside Paul Hollywood, Leith served across the longest continuous phase of Channel 4-era Bake Off and defined the judging voice of the programme across nine series. The January 2026 departure and Nigella Lawson replacement marks a generational change on the programme.
The third contribution is the 50+-year writing output across cookbooks, novels and non-fiction, and the broader public-cultural work including the 2021 DBE honour and the campaigning on assisted dying and food-system issues. Within the current British cookery-television cohort Leith sits alongside peers including Mary Berry (who she replaced on Bake Off in 2017) and Nigella Lawson (who replaces her on Bake Off in 2026) as one of the defining figures of British food broadcasting.
Prue Leith FAQ
When did Prue Leith leave Bake Off?
Leith announced her departure from The Great British Bake Off in late January 2026 after nine series on Channel 4. Her last appearance was Series 16 which aired in September 2025. She cited a desire to work less and play more and concerns about falling on set. Nigella Lawson is her confirmed replacement for Series 17 in 2026.
Who replaced Prue Leith on Bake Off?
Nigella Lawson, confirmed in late January 2026. Lawson will judge alongside Paul Hollywood from Series 17 in 2026. Leith called the choice brilliant and described Lawson as sassy and fun in the announcement coverage.
Is Leith’s restaurant still open?
Leith’s restaurant in Notting Hill operated from 1969 into the 1990s under Leith’s ownership and held a Michelin star from 1983. The restaurant was sold in the 1990s and changed ownership and format under subsequent operators. Leith’s School of Food and Wine, which she founded in 1975, continues to operate in 2026 under separate ownership.
Is Leith a Dame?
Yes. Leith was made Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE) in 2021 in recognition of her services to food, broadcasting and charitable causes. She had previously been made CBE in 2010.
What is Being Old and Learning to Love It?
Leith’s 2025 non-fiction book on ageing, published as she approached her 86th birthday. The book tour continues through April 2026 with events across the United Kingdom. The book covers Leith’s personal experience of ageing, her views on assisted dying, and the broader cultural question of how to approach older age well.
What is next for Prue Leith
Following the January 2026 Bake Off departure, Leith continues the Being Old book tour through April 2026, continues writing and public-speaking work, and continues her campaigning on assisted dying and food-system issues. Her public Instagram (@prueleith) is the best source for current updates.
