Bake Off's Prue Leith can't wait to try first ever deep fried Mars bar

22.12.2022 - 14:29 / dailyrecord.co.uk

Scotland is never far from Great British Bake Off judge Dame Prue Leith’s thoughts.

Whether it’s her Caithness and Borders roots, her Scottish husband who wooed her with haggis, fishing our lochs and rivers or making treats like Atholl Brose or skirlie for Christmas dinner, she wants to spend more time here.

And she’s ready to take the ultimate step – possibly a modern-day rite of passage – and try a deep-fried Mars Bar.

The 82-year-old South African has sampled almost everything and makes many Scots dishes throughout the year.

Speaking from her Cotswolds home, she said: “I keep wanting to have a deep-fried Mars Bar. Can I have it in batter? I’m going to try one. It might be delicious.”

The big moment will come during her first-ever stage tour – amusingly called Nothing in Moderation – which arrives in Edinburgh and Glasgow in February.

On Bake Off she’s known for her love of anything boozy but perhaps less well known is her affiliation to Scotland.

She said: “I love Scotland. It’s never far from my thoughts. The connections are very deep. My mother’s family come from Douglas. Legend is they were border cattle thieves and my father’s family come from Wick in Caithness.

“My mother was born in South Africa but she loved Scotland and we always went there for holidays.

“At one point she wanted me to marry a distant cousin and I swear the only reason she wanted me to marry him was because he was Scottish. He had a beautiful Edinburgh accent and he wore a kilt so she thought he was terrific.”

Her first marriage wasn’t to a Scot but her second was. John Playfair, a retired fashion designer, is from Edinburgh and he stole her heart by filling her stomach with Scottish food.

She said: “My husband wooed me with haggis. When we were eying