Prue Leith: ‘I’m Glad There Are Rich People In The Cotswolds’

Decked out in a luminous yellow coat and rocking a rainbow of gemstones, Prue Leith shone in all her glory as she bestowed her Bake Off blessing on the Fortnum & Mason’s new Bicester Village store. In between exploring the new shop and testing out some scrumptious new crumpets, we caught up with Prue to discuss all things food, fashion and the Cotswolds.

Q&A With Prue Leith

You recently walked the Vin & Omi catwalk at London Fashion Week. What was the experience like – were you nervous or excited?

I’ve now done four fashion shows with them over the last two years, always during fashion week. And the first time, I was nervous and I had good reason to be. We were doing it in a hotel and we had to go up and down and through the kitchens and around. We walked all over the hotel and I didn’t know which way I was going! There was me at the end and 30 professional models going ahead of me and they were all long-legged girls of about 19, and they stride along at such a lick. They all had to do that model walk (you know, hips forward) and I’m clumping along behind at a trot because I can’t keep up. 

The next time it was easier. What I always like is that I don’t know what Vin & Omi are going to put me in. When I got there, it was this black latex sheath like a tube, and it took two men to pull it onto me. It was slit up the side with thongs. I mean, it was bondage gear. No question about it. So I look completely crazy. And they turned me into a goth. I had black makeup on my eyes and spiky hair, and I was completely unrecognisable. But I did enormously enjoy it – such fun. Last time I did it, they had me in a red dress made out of parachute silk discarded from the RAF and recycled into a dress. And it was a wonderful dress. So I’ve enjoyed it; I’m such a show-off. I like the attention.

When you first started out as chef did you ever dream you’d find yourself in these glamorous situations?

No, of course I didn’t. I mean, I was so keen on my career and cooking and so on. But I’ve been living a long time and you can’t do the same thing all your life. In the last 20 years I’ve done much more television and much more crazy things like fashion and having a glasses range and a necklace range. And I like business. I used to have a cookery school, a Michelin starred restaurant and a catering company. But I have always been a journalist. So it wasn’t a huge step to get into telly. The Great British Menu is what really made me think I do quite like it. Up until then, I had grim experiences when I first started, and then I found that mostly the crews are nice; the directors are nice and it’s friendly. 

From your television appearances, you’ve become renowned for your statement fashion. 

That’s partly his fault [she says, pointing to her husband John], because 15 years ago I met John. I had always liked colour. In fact, when I first met him, I was wearing an orange sweater. When he asked me out, because I thought I rather fancied him, I thought I better dress coolly. And so I wore white silk shirts and a tan leather. [‘You were all in beige,’ he interjects]. No, I was in tan and cream, darling. Not quite beige, although I had a beige scarf and very understated gold jewellery and I thought I looked so elegant and so cool. And he said, ‘What are you wearing?’ He said, ‘I like that orange sweater you wore.’

He has been hugely encouraging of colour. If I say, ‘Is that too much?’, he will say ‘No, what about more.’ If I say, ‘Is this too big?’ He will say ‘Could be bigger.’ He spent years in the fashion business, so I trust him. And he does all my shopping. He and the girl who dresses me for Bake Off. Between them, they buy every single item I wear. She even buys my underwear. She’s dead fussy about it; she’s always telling me I should be wearing those sort of things that pull you in, which, needless to say, I’m not, because she’s not here. But if she was dressing me, she’d be making me wear some. 

What is the craziest item in your wardrobe? 

The most crazy thing is probably a rhinestone cowboy shirt, which I like. But the classiest thing is an Issey Miyake green dress, and it’s really bright green and looks terrific with a big necklace. 

You recently discussed how you disliked when restaurants gives you long essays and lectures about the food they serve you. Do you have any other food related pet peeves?

I’m quite keen on simple food and I do think that chefs, especially when they’re young and they’re experimenting – and I was exactly the same – you want to be original all the time. So things often get too complicated with too many ingredients, and really sometimes you want less ingredients and simple food. But by and large, I would still like young chefs to be doing what they’re doing, because that’s what moves fashion along. And food changes, just like everything else. It doesn’t mean you still don’t like egg and chips.

You’ve been living in the Cotswolds for 50 years. But now it seems that a new celebrity is moving here every day. Do you think it’s changed the character of the area at all?

I don’t think so, except that most of the pubs have become very gentrified. And they’re very good – I mean, you can’t find a bad pub in the Cotswolds. But there is a kind of sameness about the fact that they’re all very fashionable and so you have to work hard to find a pub that really still does kidneys on toast and simple things. We go to one in Broadwell, which is excellent. It’s called The Fox Inn at Broadwell, and that’s an old fashioned pub. It’s lovely and the food is excellent. The chef is really good, but he isn’t trying to make his name by being innovative or fashionable. He just wants good food and that’s lovely. 

I think the fact that there are some rich people now in the Cotswolds is a really good thing. For me, it’s been a fantastic thing, because I bought my house 50 years ago, and it was a big house, and I sold it last year for many, many times what I paid for it. And that meant we had enough money to build a new house and my children got houses. So of course, I’m glad there are rich people. 

But there are lots and lots of people in the Cotswolds who are trying to make a living on tiny farms. And you can only do that if you have some specialist thing which you can charge quite a lot of money for. So you need customers. And so there are lots of little farms in the Cotswolds which wouldn’t exist if they didn’t have a rich clientele. 

What are your favourite things to do in the Cotswolds?

For children and grandchildren, there’s nothing like the Cotswold Farm Park. And guess what? You could come to Bicester Village. I am not in London as often these days so I enjoy having a good shopping destination on my doorstep such as Bicester Village with all its wonderful clothing and homeware brands. John does all my shopping for clothes and I think I’ll send him to Bicester Village a bit more because he can pop into Fortnum’s and come home with a whole lot of biscuits.

When you’re not filming TV projects these days what do you spend your time doing. And what do you wish you were doing more of?

I wish I was doing more of nothing. What I really like is a day off where I can actually just stay at home. And I’m mad about gardening. I’m just building a new herbaceous border. It’s very exciting. John has forever got a project in the garden. He’s just built a 24ft dovecot, which we’re going to fill with doves and hope they don’t just fly back to where they came from, which is what they normally do.

How do you live a balanced life? 

You know what? I don’t think about trying to have a balanced life. But because I eat well and I sleep well and I love well, I reckon it’s a balanced life.

What does Fortnum & Mason moving to Bicester Village mean to you?

I think it’s quite exciting for me that Fortnum & Mason has come to Bicester Village. It’s a damn sight closer than Piccadilly and it’s the first time they’ve moved out of London, so I wish them luck. As a local to the Cotswold area, I am looking forward to having it closer to home since I am in London less these days.

They’re just so good for presents and I particularly think the packaging is so beautiful. That’s what everybody loves about a Fortnum & Mason present is that it’s exciting to get because it looks so beautiful and the colours are so great. I want all the biscuits in the shop, not because of what’s inside – although they are great – but because the tins are so lovely. I can’t wait to try the new exclusive Bicester Village gift box with the most divine chocolate pearl shortbread rounds!

Do you have any special memories of Fortnum & Mason?

Of course I do. Anybody of my age will remember going to tea and Fortnum’s. And when my daughter was young, my husband used to take her as a special treat. Once a year, he would ask her what she wanted him to do with him. And she always wanted to go to Fortnum’s, because in those days fashion models would come between the tables when you were having tea and she loved to look at the dresses. 

I remember when I first came to England, just going into the shop and looking at the stuff on the shelves was amazing. They had stuff I’ve never heard of and they probably wouldn’t thank me for saying this (because of course they’d never have it today), but I bought a little jar, which I never opened but I just kept it as a curiosity. It was baby bees in aspen. Now, who would want baby bees? But Fortnum’s have always been innovative and always try something new. 

And then I have another horrific memory when I was catering for a big event quite nearby and one of the waitresses had dropped a tray with all the food for 10 people. And I realised I desperately needed to replace this and so I rushed into Fortnum’s. I remember I was in my apron and I just had to get something immediately. I was pushing money to the man behind the counter and he was trying to give me change and it was all chaotic. And in the end, he just said, ‘Look, take it and come back later’. I just ran out. I think people were expecting coronation chicken and they got lamb chops or something, but it didn’t matter. 

How To Visit

If you’re looking to visit the Bicester Village store for yourself you can catch the train from London Marleybone to Bicester Village station from which it’s only a short walk to the main shopping centre, or you can travel there by car. The store is located at the far end of the shopping village next to the Calvin Klein store.