Lunches You Deserve
From fluffy foccacia to pastries of perfection: these are the lunches you truly deserve.
Sophie's Memorable Italian Meals
"When I first came to Italy, I was backpacking. This was a long time ago, when I was younger, and we got off a train in the early morning. We went into a cafe near the station in Calabria and the owner came in and brought us some figs that he just picked off the tree that were warm from the early morning sunshine. Now, I get figs all through the season here. But those figs I remember as being, kind of epic, because they were so perfect and so full of flavour. There's also the generosity of people in the South of Italy. This guy just brought them in for us and it was such a sweet thing to do." Read More.
"Another memorable meal I had eons ago was, again, in Calabria, in a little town up in the hills. We went to stay there and thought the place we were staying was a bit iffy. So when he offered us dinner, we said we'll go off and he just kind of smiled. We went off and realized there was nowhere open to eat in the whole of the town except for his place. So we called back there, rather sheepishly, and just had an epic meal with everything made by his mother and mushroom pasta with mushrooms he picked himself. You should never judge a book by its cover, Cliche. But it's true."
Highlights from Series Two
These delightful dishes are perfect for enhancing the everyday meal-time, as well as pulling out all the stops at your dinner party.
What's your favourite part of the Pugliese cuisine?
"They like a lot of bitter greens. And those are fantastic. The most famous is the Cime Di Rapa. It's everybody's cheap dinner: pasta with cima di rapa. And now in the UK, it's being grown a little bit and sold in frightfully chi-chi green-grocers and upmarket delis at vast price, which would have Italians just crease up with laughter because here it's so everyday, every class, everybody eats it." Read More.
Behind the Scenes from Series Two
Highlights from Series One
From crispy frittatas to melt-in-your-mouth polpette, it's no wonder these dishes are a hit with the locals
Episodes
Tomatoes - An Italian Way Of Life
S02, E01
It's hard to imagine Italian food without tomatoes. Sophie goes on a journey to discover how they are grown, prepared and preserved in Puglia.
Episode 1
S02, E01
Chef Sophie Grigson shares her new world in beautiful Puglia. From meeting lovely locals to finding delicious ingredients Sophie shows her new Italian life.
Devils And Angels - Creamy & Fiery
S02, E02
Italy is full of contrasts and the food is the same. Sophie learns how to make ricotta and visits Bari to experience Korean food Puglian style.































































