Prue Leith UNFILTERED

The cook, author and TV personality, 86, shares her secrets, ambitions and life non-negotiables

- WORDS: GABY HUDDART. PHOTO: NICKY JOHNSTON

After being a much-loved judge on The Great British Bake Off for the past nine years, Dame Prue Leith recently announced her retirement from the show. But far from putting her feet up, she has published a book about her attitude to life in her 80s, how she's continuing with her ITV series, Prue Leith's Cotswold Kitchen, and confesses to the things that bring her joy.

Why did you decide to leave Bake Off?
I went on holiday to Madagascar with my husband [John Playfair] and thought, 'I want to do more of this.' I also thought it was a good idea to go before somebody suggested I went. I think it's important to leave while you're happy and enjoying it.

Do you have any advice for Nigella Lawson [who is becoming a GBBO judge in Prue's place]?
Just enjoy it. Honestly - she will never have a nicer job. And she's a very nice woman, so it couldn't be better.

Do you think you'll watch it in future?
No, I hardly watch telly at all. And when I do, I watch travel programmes about people going to extraordinary places.

What would you do with a spare hour?
Spend it in the kitchen. I love cooking and am endlessly inventive. I love using up what I've got and am very good with leftovers, which is why I wrote a book a few years ago called Bliss on Toast.