Sophie Grigson's "Sunshine Food"

Sophie Grigson is new to Great Food viewers this season, but she'll be leading a culinary tour of an established favorite culinary region -- the Mediterranean.

"Anyone who has experienced the pleasure of Mediterranean food knows it is love at first bite," says Sophie. "But so often trying to recreate it at home ends in disappointment - we may not be able to get an ingredient and don't know what to replace it with or there's an essential herb or spice missing and we can't find out what it is."

"In each episode of "Sunshine Food," I join a family or a group of friends in a different Mediterranean location. We explore the markets and shops in search of culinary souvenirs, and visit local cafes and restaurants to discover traditional specialties beyond the familiar tourist traps. Then I return to my home kitchen, to try and hang on to that holiday feeling by recreating some of the dishes I particularly enjoyed while I was away."

Locations that Sophie will visit this series include the Amalfi Coast in Italy where pizza, pasta and ice cream set off to conquer the world; Andalucia in Southern Spain for tasty morsels of tapas, Provence in France to sample traditional specialties; the Greek island of Crete for outdoor eating at its best; and Marrakesh in Morocco for rich tagines like chicken with preserved lemons and olives.

Sophie Grigson has written a number of books, including the three bestsellers which accompanies her television series Taste of the Times, Eat Your Greens and Meat Course. She has contributed writing to London's Evening Standard, The Independent, and The Sunday Times. Sophie lives in Northamptonshire with her husband and their two children.