Celebrity chef and writer Gizzi Erskine starts on July 14 as The Sunday Times Cook in The Sunday Times Magazine’s Summer Food Special. She will bring her inimitable blend of recipes and creativity to the Dish section in the Magazine, part of the paper’s expanding coverage of food and drink. Her recipes are highly inventive and above all accessible, making a nod to the burgeoning interest in “street food” which makes the most of fresh produce and intriguing ingredients from around the globe.

Best known for presenting Channel 4’s Cook Yourself Thin, Gizzi has also appeared on a number of TV shows including Cooks To Market, Cookery School and Iron Chef on Channel 4. As a food writer, she has published Kitchen Magic and her latest book, the hugely successful Skinny Weeks and Weekend Feasts, has been a best seller since it was published in April this year.

"I'm having to pinch myself as it has been a life-long dream to have a weekly column all of my own," Gizzi said. "I don't think there's a better gig than writing for The Sunday Times, and taking over from such a brilliant writer as Lucas Hollweg is a real honour. I'm going to be bringing an exciting mix of world food and fusion to the magazine each week, and I’m really looking forward to mixing things up by putting my stamp on recipes we know and love."

Sarah Baxter, Editor of The Sunday Times Magazine, said: "We're thrilled that Gizzi Erskine is joining the magazine as The Sunday Times Cook. Her dishes are as fabulous and creative as she is."

While Gizzi’s take on recipes is modern and fun, she is classically trained and knows her way around traditional techniques. In 2003 she attended the prestigious Leith’s School of Food and Wine and graduated top of her year. Gizzi went on to win a placement at Good Food Magazine where she started to establish herself as an award-winning food writer and stylist.

She is currently a contributing editor for InStyle and has written for a wide variety of magazines and newspapers including Marie Claire, ELLE UK and USA, Vogue USA, GQ and The Sunday Times Style magazine.

Always at the forefront of any trend, Gizzi was one of the first to back the pop-up restaurant scene. She will be inviting Times+ members (subscribers to The Times and The Sunday Times) to some of the wonderful food events and pop-ups she organises throughout the year. For her next venture, Gizzi will be hosting a cookery and cabaret stage at Latitude Festival in July with demonstrations, live food-related cabaret acts, live bands and DJ sets from Gizzi herself.