Dame Prue Leith has revealed that she’s not embarrassed to serve leftovers, or food past its expiry date, to her loved ones. The 85 year old presenter of The Great British Bake Off stated that if the food is top-notch, she doesn’t discuss its origins.
She gave an example to the Telegraph of a coq au vin that had been frozen for two months, but still tasted fantastic once defrosted.
She clarified: “I’m not ashamed of serving friends leftover stuff. Indeed, if it’s truly delicious, I occasionally can’t help divulging the provenance of what’s on their plate.
“Though mostly I stay shtum. I don’t think too many people want to think they are eating hand-me-downs.”
In the same interview, Prue criticised those who discard food, particularly Generation Z, who were found to be the worst culprits in a recent study.
She suggested that the abandonment of the ‘sniff test’ was another “manifestation” of young people’s “obsession with themselves”, and the lack of home economics in schools could also be a factor.
Prue concluded: “The main lesson to learn to ensure food is safe is that by and large fresh food doesn’t smell and if it does, the smell is pleasant, as with those melons. Bad food stinks. If fish or seafood smells fishy, or meat or chicken smells unpleasant, it’s not fresh.”, reports Gloucestershire Live.
Prue commented: “It’s useful to know that bacteria doesn’t like acid, so sauces containing vinegar – almost all bottled sauces, like mayo or ketchup – will keep for months in the fridge. And anything salted, like bacon, ham, salami, keeps for weeks.”
Recently, the Channel 4 presenter also took to TikTok to share her technique for perfect roast potatoes. She begins with the traditional approach, then drains the water and places the potatoes in a pan with a lid, shaking it to roughen the edges.
She continued: “Then you get a handful of breadcrumbs, and put it in with your potatoes. Just to make sure they’re all greasy.”
After evenly coating the potatoes, Prue bakes them in the oven until they are golden and crispy, concluding: “So when they come out, there you have it, nice perfect roast potatoes! Try these absolutely gorgeous roast potatoes with your next roast dinner and let me know what you think.”