8 reasons Prue Leith is a national treasure, as she’s named in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list

Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more Stay ahead of the curve with our weekly guide to the latest trends, fashion, relationships and more SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Prue Leith is set to become a Dame having been named in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list, and we couldn’t be happier for our favourite TV foodie. She’s funny and relatable As sweet as she is, Leith comes out with some hilarious one-liners on Bake Off, and her signature assessment that a second-rate bake is “not worth the calories” is so relatable. She’s a culinary queen Born in South Africa, Leith moved to England in 1960 to begin her training at the prestigious Cordon Bleu Cookery School. In 2020’s Prue Leith: Journey With my Daughter, Leith – who married retired designer John Playfair in 2016 – admitted she felt torn at the prospect of her adoptive daughter making contact with her birth mother, saying: “I’ve had Li-Da for 45 years.