Intelligence Squared Hungry for Life! An Evening with Prue Leith (Part Two)
Mar 31, 2026
Prue Leith, Michelin-style restaurateur, broadcaster and author, reflects on ageing, joy and grief in her new memoir. She discusses running food businesses, teaching cookery in schools, the modern food divide and worries for her grandchildren’s future. She also explains her campaigning for assisted dying and how to reframe later life with humour and resilience.
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Entrepreneurship Rises As Jobs Dry Up
- Prue Leith sees entrepreneurship rising among young people partly because of scarce jobs and a cultural shift.
- She points to shows like her Cotswold Kitchen that spotlight small local businesses making cheese, honey and preserves.
Worries For Grandchildren Echo Wartime Beginnings
- Prue Leith worries for her grandchildren about wars and instability because she lived through WWII as a baby.
- She admits a personal, almost selfish relief that she likely won't be alive to witness potential future conflicts affecting them.
Gastronomy Has Become A Wealthy Hobby
- Prue Leith identifies a new food-class divide where gastronomy is a hobby of the wealthy.
- She contrasts this with France where poor and rich still desire similar everyday foods, calling the UK divide a tragedy.