LIVING ON THE WITH PRUE AND PETA
BAKE OFF JUDGE PRUE LEITH IS KEEPING IT IN THE FAMILY WITH NEW COOKBOOK THE VEGETARIAN KITCHEN. OUT ON COMFORT FOOD
THE way to Great British Bake Off judge Prue Leith’s heart is simple... treacle tart. The 80-year-old food expert admits: “I adore treacle tart. “At lunch before my wedding, I had 24 oysters followed by a bowl of treacle tart and custard. Bliss.”
Prue’s own variation of the traditional favourite, a grapefruit treacle tart, is included in new book The Vegetarian Kitchen.
She says: “I do recognise that most treacle tarts are too sweet, so I devised this variation in which grapefruit cuts through the sweetness of the syrup. Serve it with ice cream, cream or good old-fashioned custard, homemade or shop-bought.”
The new cookbook features more than 100 vegetarian and vegan recipes from Prue and her niece Peta, former pastry sous chef at The Ivy in London and a lifelong vegetarian.
They say: “Nothing pleases us more than when we cook for staunch carnivores and find them asking for second helpings and wanting to know the recipe.”
Recipes that feature on the
Leith family table include goat’s cheese galette, blackberry and lemon pavlova and stone fruit streusel cake.
Prue says grains are also a great addition to vegan and veggie dishes.
“The less obvious ancient wheats like bulgur, spelt, kamut and buckwheat, and grains like barley, millet, quinoa and amaranth have become foodies’ favourites,” she says.
“Most of them are now available in supermarkets and all of them can be bought online.
“I’ve been experimenting a bit with them, and there is no doubt that mixed grains make a great alternative to plain rice, are good in a risotto and make an interesting salad.”
Prue and Peta say: “Our style of vegetarian cooking is simple, rustic and flavoursome.
“We’re not interested in foams and gels and edible flowers in every mouthful.
“Of, course, that style of cuisine has its place, but food is about nourishment, comfort and enjoyment.
“We use really good quality, seasonal ingredients and do only what’s necessary in order to make them taste fantastic.”