FIRST IMPRESSIONS: Prue Leith
What are you working on at the moment?
A trilogy of novels. It’s a family saga that starts in the war and goes up to now, through three generations of women. It’s based on the changes in the way we eat.
When are you at your happiest?
Serving cassoulet at a big family table.
What is your greatest fear?
Something happening to my grandchildren, especially if I were to be responsible.
What is your earliest memory?
My little brother being born. I was six and I remember being asked if I would like to see him. I said, ‘No, I’d rather have a banana.’ My family have teased me about that ever since.
What do you most dislike about yourself?
I talk about myself too much.
Who has been your greatest influence?
My husband [Rayne Kruger]. I fell in love with him when I was 20; he was a writer and businessman, so he was always the voice in my ear.
What is your most treasured possession?
My house and my garden. I don’t think there’s anything nicer in life than nesting.
What trait do you most deplore in others?
Pompousness.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
I don’t like my spare tyre.
What is your favourite book?
Anthony Trollope’s The Warden.
What is your favourite film?
I think it’s a great mistake to revisit films. I keep thinking, ‘Oh, I remember that film, I’ll get it on DVD’, and then it’s such a disappointment. One I’m deliberately not seeing again because I enjoyed it so much is Cat Ballou with Lee Marvin.
And your favourite piece of music?
Mozart’s Horn Concerto No 4.
What is your favourite meal?
Haggis and neeps. In fact, my partner wooed me on haggis and neeps.
Who would you most like to come to dinner?
Sydney Kentridge and Nelson Mandela. Having them together would be fascinating. Jamie Oliver, because I think he’s the least pompous chap in food and I love him, and Dame Judi Dench.
What is the nastiest thing anyone has ever said to you?
I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say anything nasty to me. I do remember a friend of mine once imitating the way I did the twist in the most mocking way. But it was hardly nasty.
Do you believe in aliens?
Don’t be daft.
What is your secret vice?
I’m addicted to very vulgar necklaces. At the last count I had about 150. I prefer them if they’re plastic and have a great design. At the moment I’m wearing some that I bought in a street market in Thailand.
Do you write thank-you notes?
I do, but I don’t think they’re witty enough. I’ve just bought some nice cards to write on in the hope that the design will compensate for my lack of wit and originality.
Which phrase do you most overuse?
‘Darling’. I call everybody darling, not because I can’t remember their name, but because my mother called everyone darling.
What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
Longer to live. I’m 75, and I’m having such a great time and having such a great life.
Tell us one thing people might not know about you.
I’m not much of a cook. I’m a competent cook, but I’m really a caterer. I made my business in catering, and that’s about logistics, design and originality.
What would you like your epitaph to read?
‘Caterer to the end: all her life she fed her friends, now she feeds the worms’.
The Food Of Love: Laura’s Story, by Prue Leith, is published on 17 September (Quercus, £19.99).
A trilogy of novels. It’s a family saga that starts in the war and goes up to now, through three generations of women. It’s based on the changes in the way we eat.
When are you at your happiest?
Serving cassoulet at a big family table.
What is your greatest fear?
Something happening to my grandchildren, especially if I were to be responsible.
What is your earliest memory?
My little brother being born. I was six and I remember being asked if I would like to see him. I said, ‘No, I’d rather have a banana.’ My family have teased me about that ever since.
What do you most dislike about yourself?
I talk about myself too much.
Who has been your greatest influence?
My husband [Rayne Kruger]. I fell in love with him when I was 20; he was a writer and businessman, so he was always the voice in my ear.
What is your most treasured possession?
My house and my garden. I don’t think there’s anything nicer in life than nesting.
What trait do you most deplore in others?
Pompousness.
What do you most dislike about your appearance?
I don’t like my spare tyre.
What is your favourite book?
Anthony Trollope’s The Warden.
What is your favourite film?
I think it’s a great mistake to revisit films. I keep thinking, ‘Oh, I remember that film, I’ll get it on DVD’, and then it’s such a disappointment. One I’m deliberately not seeing again because I enjoyed it so much is Cat Ballou with Lee Marvin.
And your favourite piece of music?
Mozart’s Horn Concerto No 4.
What is your favourite meal?
Haggis and neeps. In fact, my partner wooed me on haggis and neeps.
Who would you most like to come to dinner?
Sydney Kentridge and Nelson Mandela. Having them together would be fascinating. Jamie Oliver, because I think he’s the least pompous chap in food and I love him, and Dame Judi Dench.
What is the nastiest thing anyone has ever said to you?
I don’t think I’ve ever heard anyone say anything nasty to me. I do remember a friend of mine once imitating the way I did the twist in the most mocking way. But it was hardly nasty.
Do you believe in aliens?
Don’t be daft.
What is your secret vice?
I’m addicted to very vulgar necklaces. At the last count I had about 150. I prefer them if they’re plastic and have a great design. At the moment I’m wearing some that I bought in a street market in Thailand.
Do you write thank-you notes?
I do, but I don’t think they’re witty enough. I’ve just bought some nice cards to write on in the hope that the design will compensate for my lack of wit and originality.
Which phrase do you most overuse?
‘Darling’. I call everybody darling, not because I can’t remember their name, but because my mother called everyone darling.
What single thing would improve the quality of your life?
Longer to live. I’m 75, and I’m having such a great time and having such a great life.
Tell us one thing people might not know about you.
I’m not much of a cook. I’m a competent cook, but I’m really a caterer. I made my business in catering, and that’s about logistics, design and originality.
What would you like your epitaph to read?
‘Caterer to the end: all her life she fed her friends, now she feeds the worms’.
The Food Of Love: Laura’s Story, by Prue Leith, is published on 17 September (Quercus, £19.99).