Bake Off needs a healthy cut in calories, says Prue

AS they load butter, cream and sugar into their creations, it’s fair to say that the contestants on The Great British Bake Off are not overly concerned about the calorie count.

But that could be about to change when Prue Leith replaces Mary Berry as a judge. She wants to see the amateur bakers working on ‘healthier recipes’ when the show moves to Channel 4 later this year.

Miss Leith, 77, has said cakes made with lots of butter and sugar were ‘OK’ but only as an ‘occasional treat’. She added: ‘I would love to see healthy recipes, of course I would.’

Miss Leith, who has written eight novels alongside her 12 cookery books, said the best way to avoid getting fat – especially for children – was learning how to cook.

On Miss Berry, 82, she said: ‘Look at that woman. She has spent her life teaching people to make cake – and savoury things, too – but she is as slim and healthy as anyone. You know she knows how to eat. That is the great thing about cooks.’

The show has tried before to encourage healthier recipes, although the efforts came in for criticism. In 2015, contestants were asked to make sugar-free cakes, gluten-free pittas and dairy-free ice cream rolls.

But when some bakers used alternatives such as honey or syrups in the sugar-free challenge, experts condemned the show for not pointing out that these ingredients are simply sugar in a different form.

Miss Leith is starring on Bake Off with Paul Hollywood, and new presenters Sandi Toksvig and Noel Fielding.

She attacked the Conservatives for scrapping universal free school meals for infants in their manifesto, saying it could mean pupils reverting to lunchboxes full of junk food. Only 1 per cent typically met nutritional standards, Miss Leith claimed.