Inside Bake Off judge Prue Leith’s links to Scotland

Dame Prue Leith is proud of her many links to Scotland. The Great British Bake Off judge has roots in Caithness and the Borders and is married to a Scots man who wooed her with some haggis.

Born in South Africa, the 84-year-old’s grandparents on both sides were Scottish and she’s previously opened up about her love for the country, and revealed she’s a proud wearer of the Leith tartan whenever she gets a chance.

Scotland is never far from the star’s thoughts, as Prue previously told the Daily Record: “I love Scotland. It’s never far from my thoughts. The connections are very deep. My mother’s family come from Douglas. Legend is they were border cattle thieves and my father’s family come from Wick in Caithness.

“My mother was born in South Africa but she loved Scotland and we always went there for holidays.

“At one point she wanted me to marry a distant cousin and I swear the only reason she wanted me to marry him was because he was Scottish. He had a beautiful Edinburgh accent and he wore a kilt so she thought he was terrific.”

Prue, who returns to screens tonight in the latest instalment of Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up to Cancer, met second husband John Playfair – a retired fashion designer from Edinburgh in 2011 and he plied her with Scottish food to ensure he stole her heart.

She said: “My husband wooed me with haggis. When we were eying each other up, he asked if I’d like to come to supper and he gave me haggis and bashed neeps. It was absolutely delicious so how could I resist him?”

The pair married in 2016 in the Capital’s Lothian Chambers and continue to holiday regularly in Scotland. Last July, the star posed for photos alongside delighted staff, as she joined tourists on a tour through Glasgow.

Prue had been in Scotland’s biggest city to perform her Everything in Moderation tour at the Kings Theatre and made sure to get the most of her trip north of the border.

Sharing photos of their special guest, the City Sightseeing Bus team cooked up some special puns to share the news of their recent well-kent guest with followers on Facebook: “Top deck for Prue! #nosoggybottoms.

“Our guide Lauren was pleased as pudding to welcome Bake Off star Prue Leith on the bus yesterday!”

They continued: “In hindsight we really should have baked some tattie scones for the occasion.”

And for Prue’s 80th, she indulged in her great love of fishing and brought 10 pals up to the Spey for a trip.

She previously told the Record: “I love fishing. I’ve fished a lot of Scottish rivers. We took 10 friends to Ballindalloch for a week.

“It was a glorious birthday and we had the most beautiful weather.

“I didn’t catch any fish. John didn’t catch any fish. But it didn’t matter.”

Prue was also made Chancellor of Queen Margaret University in 2017, “which was a good excuse to come up even more”.

She previously told the Sunday Post she was “honoured” at the accolade as she said: “I have always admired the place because it started as a cookery school.

“They have never forgotten about the practical skills of cooking. They have more female students than male, they do a lot of nursing degrees and health, lots of medical, and lots of hospitality. It’s a nice connection.”

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Prue, who was a judge on Great British Menu for 11 years, took over from Mary Berry on Bake Off in 2017 when the show moved from the BBC to Channel 4.

And she may be an honorary Scot through and through who has sampled most of our cuisine across the country and enjoys cooking the likes of Atholl Brose and skirlie – but she previously admitted to us she’s yet to try the modern Scottish delicacy that is a deep-fried Mars Bar. She said: “I keep wanting to have a deep-fried Mars Bar. Can I have it in batter? I’m going to try one. It might be delicious.”

Earlier this month, it was revealed Prue, who was made a Dame in 2021 for her services to food, will be taking a break from Bake Off after being a judge for seven years. She won’t appear on the summer celebrity version of the show and bosses are said to be hoping to fill her slot with Nigella Lawson.

A spokesman for Bake Off creator Love Productions said: ‘Prue will be stepping back from The Great Celebrity Bake Off for Stand Up To Cancer.”

‘Prue absolutely loves working on Bake Off but filming two series a year can be punishing on top of her other commitments,’ a source told The Sun.

“Prue has made it clear she adores the show and would like to come back in 2025. She will turn 85 next year, so it’s not surprising that she wants to take time off.”

She has already filmed the normal series, which will air later this year, as well as the current run of the celebrity version, featuring the likes of Danny Dyer and Gabby Logan.

In a statement, Prue told MailOnline: “I absolutely love working on Bake Off and am looking forward to filming the next series and meeting our new bakers, I am only stepping back from the Celebrity series, which is just a question of the filming commitment involved as we make these shows back to back.”

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