Relish: My Life on a Plate

Prue Leith describes herself as greedy in all senses of the word. Cook, caterer, restaurateur, food writer, journalist, novelist, businesswoman, teacher, television presenter, charity worker, lover, wife and mother, she has certainly been greedy for life. Born in South Africa, the daughter of a well-known actress, Prue came to London in the early 1960s, set up a successful catering company, and later opened Leith's Restaurant, a food lovers' oasis in London's then gastronomic desert. By the mid-seventies she was a regular food columnist on the Daily Mail, had published several cookbooks and opened Leith's School of Food and Wine. But it wasn't all work. For thirteen years she had a secret affair with the married man who was to be her husband for another twenty-five years. She writes movingly of the anguish for both families; of her longing for children; the birth of her son, Daniel, and the adoption of her daughter, Li-Da. Prue writes with relish, humour and honesty. Whether she is running her own businesses or sitting on the boards of public companies; founding charities or leading institutions, her down-to-earth attitude to triumph and disaster is an inspiration. She is forthright about her love life; her mother's senility; her husband's smoking himself to death; the theft of her savings, and falling in love at sixty-six with a manic-depressive. Above all, Relish reflects one lucky woman's incredible zest for life.

Table of Contents:
Preface. A South African Childhood. Learning Curves. Foreign Affairs. Lovingly Bound. Killing Lobsters. Out of the Frying Pan. Into the Fire. Cracks in the Affair. It's a Boy. But Can You Boil an Egg? Heaven Lends a Hand. Country Wife. Growing Pains. Conference Call. Star Turn. The Great British Sandwich. Education, Education, Education. Losing Rayne. Widowhood. Who is that Girl? A Sudden Interest in Poetry. Novel Endings. Index.

About the Author :
As a cook, restaurateur, food writer and businesswoman, Prue Leith has played a key role in the revolution of Britain's eating habits since the Sixties. In 1995, having published twelve cookbooks, she gave up writing about food to concentrate on fiction. She has published five novels, the latest of which is A Serving of Scandal. Prue lives near Moreton-in-Marsh, Gloucestershire.

Review :
'Prue Leith was not just born to cook ... she was also born to write' Daily Mail. 'Most of the credit for Leith's success, however, rests with the woman herself ... The best bits of the book show her in crisis -management mode ... she is refreshingly honest about mistakes ... she knows what she likes - simple, cordon-bleu cookery - and she never backs down' The Sunday Times. 'Whether Leith is talking about business, personal tragedy or her accidental attendance at an orgy, her tone is no-nonsense. The book also contains some hilarious vignettes' Observer. 'this book is like a jolly montage from a wholesome family movie ... a joyful story rather than a self-pitying one' Mail on Sunday. 'searingly honest, tender and very funny' talking of food. 'you'll be captivated by her story' Food and Travel magazine. 'what a terrific tale it is - of a South African girl who could stand the heat and made the kitchen into a remarkable career' Telegraph. 'Prue Leith's gripping new autobiography is packed with stories of opening the coolest restaurant in Swinging Sixties London, kitchen disasters among superstars and royalty, plus moving accounts of adoption, love and loss' Express. 'a searingly honest memoir ... much to entertain' Independent on Sunday. 'Leith is disarmingly honest about her own regrets, writing with candour and warmth about her family' Good Book Guide. 'A fine tome, written by a fine lady' Live magazine. 'This is Prue's life on a plate; and very tasty it is, too' Tribune.