Prue Leith and Pasta Evangelists founder Alessandro Savelli
Great British Bake Off judge Prue Leith is in line to make a small fortune from the sale of a UK pasta company.
Pasta Evangelists, which delivers fresh meals and sauces, is to be snapped up by Barilla Group for £40 million after thriving in lockdown.
The deal would provide TV star Leith with a handsome payday along with other early investors, restaurant critics Giles Coren and William Sitwell.
The business was set up four years ago by Alessandro Savelli, a former banker, and is chaired by James McArthur, previously chief executive of Harrods.
Pasta Evangelists makes dishes such as lobster and crab tortelloni, and pappardelle with slow-cooked beef shin ragu, which can be ordered online or bought in Marks & Spencer and Harrods for up to £13.
In 2018 Savelli went on the BBC’s Dragons’ Den show to seek investment but left empty-handed. Nevertheless, in February last year the company raised £3.5 million in funds. Barilla, the owner of famous brands such as Voiello and Academia Barilla, was founded in 1877 in Parma, Italy.
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