Prue Leith’s festival conversations offer readers more than a familiar face from food television. Her books move through cooking, fiction and memoir, and the 2026 visits centred on growing older. For someone drawn to a writer’s working life and reflections, that was a reason to settle in and listen.
Quick facts
Best known for
Cookery writing, memoir and reflections on later life
Genre or subject
Food writing and memoir
Latest book
Being Old…and Learning to Love It! (2026), Short Books
Leith writes cookery, fiction and memoir alongside a career in food and broadcasting. Her restaurant and food-school work gives a practical grounding to the books about cooking. Her official collection also makes room for novels, many of them involving cooks, chefs or restaurateurs, as well as first-person writing.
Being Old…and Learning to Love It! was published by Short Books in February 2026. The book combines memoir with reflections on ageing, including the expectations placed on older people and the possibilities of staying engaged with work and daily life. Readers may come to it with questions about the next stage of their own lives, or simply enjoy hearing how another person thinks through experience.
That range gives a reader more than one way to make a connection. A cookbook can become familiar through repeated use in a kitchen; a novel offers invented people to spend time with; memoir invites a more direct encounter with the author’s voice. A festival visit can follow the strand you already enjoy or open one you have not tried.
Where to start with their books
Bliss on Toast
Seventy-five recipes turn toast into meals, snacks and canapés with different toppings. Try this if you want the pleasure of cooking from a book without beginning with an elaborate project, and would enjoy bringing a food-book conversation back into your own kitchen.
The Vegetarian Kitchen
Written with Peta Leith, this book offers more than a hundred vegetarian recipes with vegan alternatives. It is a route for readers looking for everyday comfort food and a writing partnership grounded in the work of deciding what to cook.
Choral Society
Three single women in their fifties meet through a choir, each at a turning point in her life. Choose this novel if you would like to explore Leith’s fiction through friendship and change, away from the practical form of a cookbook.
Festival appearances
For tickets, use the host festival’s official box office. Confirm the date, venue and access details before paying.
Stratford held Being Old and Learning to Love it on 9 May. At Hay on 27 May, Growing Old Gracefully brought Leith together with Liz Earle, chaired by Gaby Huddart on the Discovery Stage. Each writer brought a different book to a shared conversation about getting older.
Where to see them next
No 2027 appearances announced yet. Check the festival guides for programme dates.
Plan your trip
A Leith conversation could make a thoughtful outing with a friend who enjoys food books, memoir or talking about the next phase of life. Leave time for lunch and a proper discussion afterwards, especially if the ideas in the book are what made you choose the ticket.
If comfort affects how long you can enjoy an event, ask the box office about the seating, step-free route and the support available before you book. Choose a day with enough breathing space between travel and the talk. The guide links below help you compare a day visit with staying nearby.
The 2026 programmes featured Prue Leith at Edinburgh International Book Festival, Hay Festival, Henley Literary Festival, Stratford Literary Festival; follow those guides for event information and practical visit details.
Were the 2026 appearances cooking demonstrations?
Use the festival links on Prue Leith’s profile for the event’s own ticket and audience guidance.
Which kind of book should I read before attending?
Choose what you want from the visit. A memoir may be a natural companion to a conversation about experience; a familiar cookbook can give you another connection to the writer. There is no need to work through every part of her publishing.
How do I book a ticket?
Use the festival’s own box office for the event you want. If you need a companion ticket, step-free access or seating advice, ask about that session before paying. Confirm any included book or signing separately from the general admission ticket.
Would this make a good outing with a friend?
It may suit a friend who enjoys talking about books, work and the possibilities of later life. Choose the subject together, then leave time to eat and talk afterwards. One well-chosen session can be enough for a rewarding festival day.
