Profile

A former chef and cookery demonstrator, Lesley's lively personality makes her a popular television cook and a regular member of the team on Ready Steady Cook (BBC 2), and This Morning (ITV1). In 2008 Lesley was the main presenter of Little Chefs (ITV Westcountry).

Biography

She studied French Cuisine for three years at Ealing College, which included time as a chef at the Waldorf Hotel. During this training period, she won one gold, and two silver medals at Hotelympia and was awarded a scholarship to the Hotel Intercontinental, Dusseldorf.

In 1978 Lesley joined Prue Leith's Restaurant and was quickly promoted to position of senior chef. She then worked as a freelance corporate chef and caterer for government officials before joining Leith's School of Food and Wine as an instructor, rising to head teacher. Here she perfected her cookery demonstration and food photography skills. She often represented British food at international cookery displays, taking as her theme 'good food for health's sake'.

She has worked in television since 1989. In addition to GMTV and Bazaar her work has included writing and presenting a series of network Cookery Club programmes for Chrysalis TV, resident cook for Lifestyle Channel and currently for UK Living. In 1992 she teamed up with Malcolm Gluck to present the Superplonk video, the guide to 101 top supermarket wines, produced by Chrysalis.

Lesley has written nearly twenty books including Fifteen Minute Feasts for BBC Books, Four Seasons Cookery for BBC Books, Sainsbury's Quick and Easy Food for Friends (Martin Books, 1995), Weight Watchers Carefree Christmas (Simon & Schuster, 1996), Ready Steady Cook Book 3 (BBC Books, 1997), and Weight Watchers Store Cupboard Cookery (Simon & Schuster, 1997). These were followed by Classic Starters and Juice Up Your Energy Levels both for Orion and The Essential Pasta Book for Weidenfeld & Nicolson. Broader Than Beans a major vegetarian cook book was published by Headline in 1998 and the follow up Cooler Than Chillies was published 2000. and recent titles include New To Cooking (Ryland Peters and Small) and Healthy Food (Quadrille). She has also launched a series of paperback cookbooks with food retailer Julian Graves. In addition to her book writing, Lesley is always in demand for her food journalism – she is a regular contributor to BBC Good Food Magazine and Asda Online magazine and has had her own column in 4 Girlz magazine.

As well as all her exciting television and writing projects, Lesley is consistently chosen to be the spokesperson for top food brands. When not busy filming Lesley is busy running her immensely popular cookery school in Devon, the setting for which is the stunning Chartmarle manor in Dorset. Lesley also runs a catering company which delivers delicious food all over the country.

Updated 15/10/2009