Prue Leith welcomes Nigella Lawson as Bake Off judge while launching national school cookery push
prue leith announced she would be leaving The Great British Bake Off in January and said Nigella Lawson will be "wonderful" as the programme's new judge. The timing matters because Channel 4 has confirmed Lawson will join Paul Hollywood as a permanent judge for the show's 17th series later this year while Leith is rolling out a free primary-school cooking curriculum.
Prue Leith's decision to step back from The Great British Bake Off
Dame Prue Leith, who lives in Oxfordshire, said "Now feels like the right time to step back" when she announced her departure last month. She acknowledged she had enjoyed the role and could have continued for "a few more years, " but said she has "an awful lot of other things I want to do" and noted, "next week I'm 86. " She added she could not "go on enjoying myself eating cake all the time" and wanted to focus on other projects.
Leith was hired after the series moved from the to Channel 4 in 2016, taking the place of another Oxfordshire resident, Dame Mary Berry, who lives in Henley on Thames.
Nigella Lawson to join for 17th series alongside Paul Hollywood
Channel 4 revealed that Nigella Lawson will become only the programme's fourth permanent judge and will sit alongside long-standing judge Paul Hollywood for the 17th series later this year. When asked by Radio Oxford whether she had guidance for her successor, Dame Prue said, "She doesn't need any advice from me. "
Leith praised Lawson's qualities, saying she is "so good, " will bring "a whole fresh look, " and will be "wonderful, " adding that "She's funny, she knows her onions and she's delightful. " The broadcaster's announcement positions Lawson as the replacement for Dame Prue on the series.
Leiths Education launches free primary-school curriculum
Leiths Education has committed to teach every primary-age child in Britain how to cook and has launched a new free primary school curriculum intended to get children into the kitchen. The scheme was developed because, Leith said, "There's been three generations with no cookery going on in schools, or very little, " and the organisation concluded that the solution was a strong curriculum beginning with four year olds and continuing through primary school.
The programme has already been trialled in nearly 50 schools, with 82% of participating children seeing their cooking skills "improve enormously. " Leith noted that in her "50 or 60 years of teaching cooking, " she has never met a child who did not enjoy a cookery lesson, adding that when children are very young they are "so curious and they're imaginative and they want to try things. "
Radio Oxford exchange and public comments
During an interview on Radio Oxford, Dame Prue reiterated that she wanted to hand over the Bake Off role and spoke warmly of Lawson, reiterating that the new judge does not need advice and will refresh the programme's tone. That public exchange framed the succession at a moment when Channel 4 is preparing the show's next series.
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What makes this notable is the convergence of two distinct moves by Leith: stepping away from a high-profile television role while accelerating a nationwide education initiative. Because she is advancing the Leiths Education curriculum after trials in nearly 50 schools with an 82% improvement metric, her exit from the show will be watched not only for its impact on the programme but also for how she reallocates time toward the cookery campaign.
