Prue Leith shocks fans as she reveals she hasn’t made her own puff pastry in 25 YEARS and claims ‘cheating in the kitchen is fine’

She is undoubtedly one of Britain’s baking legends.

But Dame Prue Leith shocked fans yesterday by revealing she has not made her own puff pastry for 25 years.

The Great British Bake-Off judge, 84, admitted to taking shortcuts in her baking as she discussed her latest book Life’s Too Short To Stuff A Mushroom at Literary Festival.

In the new cookbook, Dame Prue writes that cheating in the kitchen is ‘fine’ and admits: to cheating ‘all the time’.

Speaking to host Tim Hubbard, she told the audience: ‘I haven’t made custard, real custard, in years.

The Great British Bake-Off judge admitted to taking shortcuts in her baking as she discussed her latest book Life’s Too Short To Stuff A Mushroom at Literary Festival

‘I buy the little boxes and they’re delicious. Some are more delicious than others, I like Ambrosia.

‘It’s good because my husband will eat anything as long as it’s got custard in it.’

She continued to make the even more shocking revelation: ‘And I haven’t made puff pastry in 25 years’.

Asked about one piece of kitchen equipment which she thinks is most useful, Dame Prue surprised the audience by praising air fryers.

While she said the traditional potato peeler was her number one choice, Dame Prue said that in terms of modern equipment, she ‘hates to say it’ but she makes use of an air fryer.

Dame Prue even revealed how she recently made a chocolate cake using an air fryer, oven and microwave and found that they all turned out equally delicious.

She added: ‘The air fryer causes the least mess.’

Talking about her book, and the shortcuts some of the recipes offer, Dame Prue said: ‘This book is still about gastronomy.

In the new cookbook, Dame Prue writes that cheating in the kitchen is ‘fine’ and admits: to cheating ‘all the time’

Dame Prue even revealed how she recently made a chocolate cake using an air fryer, oven and microwave and found that they all turned out equally delicious (pictured with GBBO judge Paul Hollywood)

Prue behind-the-scenes on GBBO with Alison Hammond, Paul Hollywood and Noel Fielding

‘It’s still about the best possible food. It is delicious food, but it’s simple and you can cheat.’

Though, Dame Prue added, you can’t ‘cheat’ with all the recipes.

‘I don’t think you can cheat in the sense that you can just buy absolutely anything from the supermarket and combined it’, she said.