Sophie Grigson's Sunshine Food [Hardcover]

Sophie Grigson's love of the Mediterranean, nurtured by many years of travel around its shores, shines through the many personal anecdotes and reminiscences in Sunshine Food, her new collection of recipes from the region. In her introduction she pays tribute to the allure of the great southern sea: "The magic begins as we step off the plane or train, to be bathed in warmth and that extraordinary, glittering, crystal light." No mention of the horrors of the mistral here: we are on summer holiday, eating in wonderful traditional restaurants, shopping in the abundant food markets, enjoying our aperitif in the shaded square of an unspoilt hill town or at a bar on the piccola marina.

Over 140 recipes are included, from all around the Mediterranean, in the usual kind of categories, but inflected by the nature and exigencies of the regional diet: thus Starters and Snacks, Salads, Vegetables Dishes and Egg and Cheese Dishes have about the same prominence as Meat Poultry and Game. Among the recipes there are few that will be new to those familiar with Mediterranean food; but then, Sophie Grigson's greatest quality as a food writer is not exoticism but trustworthiness. Any recipe she chooses to present will be sound, vivid and delicious; and can be prepared and served with confidence. This is very much the case with this seductive book, a wonderful combination of the enjoyable and the inspiring. --Robin Davidson

In this work, acclaimed food writer Sophie Grigson captures the essence of holidays in the sun by bringing the very best flavours and ingredients of the Mediterranean into our kitchens at home.

‘With a recipe, you can recreate the smells and flavours of another land and, as everyone knows, smell – above all other senses – is the most powerful trigger to recalling memories.’

‘What never ceases to amaze me is the inventiveness of Mediterranean cooks. Each time I visit, even if only for a few short days, I discover new ways of manipulating common foodstuffs, to transform them into something distinctive and delicious. Of course, they are lucky in that they still have easy access to first-class ingredients, though kitchens may often lack all the sophisticated gadgetry that we take for granted. Take a trip to a market, anywhere around the area, and the inspiration for culinary endeavour is all around you. What joy to be able to take, say, the fruit and vegetable market of Nice, or the fish market in Cadiz, or the provisions market of Tel Aviv, for granted – I’d swap that any day for the gizmos of a British kitchen.’