Prue Leith: A Life in Food

Jimi Famurewa is a British-Nigerian author, broadcaster and freelance journalist. His writing has appeared in the Guardian, Wired, GQ, and Observer Food Monthly. He is the former restaurant critic for the Evening Standard, regular guest judge on the BBC One series MasterChef and was also one of the lead judges on Channel 4’s The Great Cookbook Challenge with Jamie Oliver. He hosted the award-winning podcast Where’s Home Really?, and, in 2021, he won Restaurant Writer of the Year at both the Fortnum & Mason Awards and the Guild of Food Writers Awards. His first book, Settlers: Journeys through the Food, Faith and Culture of Black African London, was published by Bloomsbury in 2022 and was shortlisted for Foyles Non-Fiction Book of the Year.

Prue Leith’s career has included her own restaurants, cookery school businesses as well as being a board director of many companies. She has published eight novels, a memoir, and 14 cookbooks inc. her latest cookbook, Life’s Too Short to Stuff a Mushroom published in 2024. Prue is probably best known as a judge on The Great British Bake Off, American Baking Show, The Great British Menu and My Kitchen Rules. Prue has her own TV show, Prue Leith's Cotswold Kitchen, with a 2nd series coming Spring 2025. Prue has had a long involvement with education and the arts and was Chair of the School Food Trust, responsible for the improvement of school food and food education. She started the campaign for contemporary sculpture to be exhibited on the Fourth Plinth in Trafalgar Square and has been active in many charities. She has a DBE, 12 honorary degrees or fellowships, the Veuve Clicquot Businesswoman of the year, and her restaurant, Leith’s, won a Michelin star.

The British Library Food Season returns for its seventh year, bringing together some of the most influential names in food, drink, hospitality, literature and science, for a series of events that highlight the stories, the politics and the people behind how and why we eat. Discover more Food Season events. 

There are a range of concessions available. These include discounts for British Library Members, half-price tickets for students and under 26s, free entry for carers as well as a number of other concessions.

This event will take place at Pavilion Theatre on the piazza of the British Library, London and is also available to watch online. Tickets may be booked to attend in person, or to watch on our platform either live or during the next 7 days on catch up. Viewing links for the online version will be sent out in the confirmation email you receive after booking.   

If you’re attending in person, please arrive no later than 15 minutes before the start time of this event. If you have specific access requirements please email customer@bl.uk