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Dame Prue Leith recently shared an anecdote about the time she boldly contacted the editor of the Michelin Guide to question why her restaurant had not yet been awarded a star. Speaking at the Hay Festival in Hay-on-Wye during the event “My Life in Books,” where guests discuss literature that has influenced them, Leith reflected on her surprising assertiveness at the time. “Now I think, how could I have done that?” she admitted.
Leith opened her first restaurant, Leith’s, in Notting Hill, London, back in 1969. Despite eventually earning a Michelin star, she revealed to the audience that it took 25 years to achieve this recognition. When she made the call to the Michelin Guide, the editor surprisingly answered and invited her and his inspector to dine at her restaurant so they could discuss the matter in person. Leith described the meeting as “fantastic,” noting the editor had a detailed logbook with notes from every previous visit. These notes included subtle suggestions, such as adjustments in salad dressings and inconsistencies in the number of bread varieties served on different occasions. Reflecting on this, she recognized the reasons behind these fluctuations, such as changes in bakers and kitchen staff strikes. Following their recommendations led to Leith’s restaurant earning its Michelin star the following year.
During the festival, Leith also spoke about the influence the book *Kitchen Confidential* by Anthony Bourdain had on her, in particular inspiring her to confront the misogyny present in the hospitality industry. She explained that early in her career she mainly hired women and friends, so the toxic atmosphere described in Bourdain’s book was shocking and unlike her experience. “It blew the lid off the culture of bullying and sexual harassment. It was just thought of as funny and a joke,” she said. Leith shared how her perspective changed after hiring a talented young man who quit after only three weeks due to constant bullying because of his social background. When she addressed the issue with the chef, she was met with dismissal, prompting her to engage other restaurateurs about practices like “initiation ceremonies” and the belief in “toughening people up.” She found these problems were widespread. Leith also recounted difficulties placing female pupils from her cookery schools in kitchens, recalling one manager at London’s Savoy Hotel openly rejecting women, citing superstition related to them “interfering with the cooking processes at a certain time of the month,” which she called shocking for the 1990s.
Leith reflected further on the books that shaped her childhood and life, including *Pride and Prejudice* by Jane Austen and *The Snow Goose* by Paul Gallico. She fondly remembered her father reading *The Snow Goose* to her and her brothers, calling it a tear-jerker and a favorite she recently shared with her husband, John Playfair. Her love of Austen developed during a journey back to her native South Africa when she was around 11 years old. Leith recounted how her mother, a devoted Austen fan, carried a collection of Austen’s novels on their voyage, giving her *Pride and Prejudice* to read. She humorously recalled questioning her mother about a library stamp in the book, and her mother’s response about “rescuing” books that had lain unused for decades. Describing herself as “quite tough” emotionally, Leith contrasted her stoic nature with her husband’s more sensitive side. She also expressed a fondness for cozy period dramas, like *Downton Abbey*, which she finds comforting to watch when she wants to escape into a different world, though noted her husband does not share this sentiment
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