Prue Leith, 86, reveals Savoy head chef told her he’d never hire a woman as she would ‘distract the men and curdle the mayonnaise when on her period’ as she reflects on sexism in the food industry

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Prue Leith shared that a former head chef at the Savoy Hotel once confessed to her he wouldn’t employ a female chef, believing she’d be a distraction to the male staff and that her menstrual cycle would negatively impact her cooking, specifically causing mayonnaise to fail.

The restaurateur and TV personality, who is South African-British, has spoken about the sexism she faced during her career in the food world.

Prue Leith began her culinary journey with cooking school in London in 1960. She later opened her acclaimed restaurant, Leith’s, which earned a Michelin star in 1969. However, at the time, she was one of very few female chefs in a male-dominated industry.

Prue Leith says that, historically, many male chefs believed professional kitchens weren’t for women, and that women’s cooking should be limited to home meals for their husbands.

Paul Hollywood, the 86-year-old host of The Great British Bake Off, shared a shocking story about how some male head chefs used to believe a woman’s menstrual cycle would cause mayonnaise to fail.

Prue Leith particularly remembered a sexist remark made by Silvino Trompetto, the former head chef at the Savoy Hotel (1965-1980). He explained his refusal to hire female chefs by saying they wouldn’t stay in the job long because they’d likely get married, and that they would distract the male chefs, impacting the quality of their work.

On Thursday’s episode of her podcast, Begin Again, Davina McCall asked Prue Leith about the challenges women face in the cooking world.

She explained that because she always worked independently, she avoided a problem many young female chefs still face: the traditionally hierarchical and often harsh environment of professional kitchens. This stems from the fact that many leading chefs after the war were French or German, and kitchen culture adopted a very military-style structure and language.

Look, I get it, a kitchen is like a military operation! The head chef is the commander, and everyone needs to move fast and follow orders immediately. That’s just how it works, and it’s vital for success. But honestly, there’s absolutely no excuse for being a horrible boss or for bullying anyone. It shouldn’t ever be like that, even when things are crazy busy. It’s about respect, you know?

‘And I had really no idea about how awful it was because I had never worked in a restaurant. 

When I ran a cooking school, I started connecting with many chefs. I’d often ask them to offer my students work experience or jobs after they qualified, but initially, they would dismiss the idea, saying they didn’t hire women in their kitchens.

I recall a conversation with Trompetto, the Savoy’s head chef, where he firmly stated he would never allow a woman to work in his kitchen. When I challenged him – asking what if she was the most talented chef – he reiterated his refusal, saying he’d still never hire a woman.

He explained that he didn’t want to hire them because he believed they would get married and leave, and that they would distract the other workers, reducing productivity. I told him I completely disagreed with his reasoning.

He firmly stated that women don’t belong in the workplace, insisting their proper place is at home, specifically in the kitchen.

Prue recounted that he once said he wouldn’t allow a woman in his kitchen, claiming that during their menstrual cycle, they’d ruin the mayonnaise.

Historically, some head chefs absurdly believed a woman’s menstrual cycle would cause mayonnaise to fail, and considered this to be a form of ‘witchcraft’.

Let me tell you, I’ve been hearing a lot about those weight-loss injections lately, and honestly, my experience wasn’t great. I tried them for a full month, and I didn’t see a single pound come off! So, as someone who really explores these things, I have to say, I personally didn’t find them worth the money.

Prue revealed she decided to try the weight loss drug after her husband, John Playfair, lost three stone while using Mounjaro. She had previously announced her departure from the show in January.

I’ve been following Tirzepatide closely – it’s a really promising medication that you need a prescription for. It’s being used to help people manage Type 2 diabetes, and it’s also showing great results in helping people lose weight. I’m hopeful it will become a valuable tool for many!

Prue admitted to the Press Association that her attempt at something didn’t work because she hadn’t bothered to read the instructions. She also realized she was only consuming around 200 calories daily without realizing it.

When you severely restrict calories, your body interprets it as starvation and actively tries to conserve energy. Despite eating very little for two weeks, I didn’t lose any weight at all – my body held onto everything it could.

I probably won’t use it. It’s really expensive, and I don’t want to waste my money if it doesn’t even work.

Prue Leith, who spent nine years on The Great British Bake Off tasting delicious food, shared that she surprisingly never gained any weight.

She explained that cake and wine are a perfect pairing, though she admitted it’s definitely not a healthy diet! It worked for her personally, as it only involved eating and drinking those things for a short period – just ten weeks, and only two days out of each week. For twenty days total, that was all she consumed.

I truly enjoyed what I was doing and could have continued indefinitely. While I’ll definitely miss it, I’m facing time constraints now.

Nigella Lawson has confirmed she will be a judge on the upcoming series, joining Paul Hollywood when filming starts in April.

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2026-02-26 16:04