FOOD-lovers in Hull have snapped up 1,000 tickets to watch celebrity chef James Martin cooking up a feast.

Hull Truck Theatre's first food festival takes place tomorrow, at its new £15m home in Ferensway, city centre.

The event includes three ticket-only cooking demonstrations by the Saturday Kitchen star James Martin.

He will be joined by Bridlington-born chef Nigel Brown, who runs an exclusive cooking academy on the south bank.

More than 1,000 tickets to see the demonstrations sold out within days of going on sale.

The rest of the festival, which is on from midday to 6pm, is free.

James said: "I am delighted to be appearing at Hull Truck Theatre. I am very fortunate, as my work takes me to some amazing places around the world, but there is still nothing I like more than going back to my roots, in Yorkshire."

For those who have not got a ticket to the demonstrations, they can still meet James at book signings, at 1pm to 2pm and 4.15pm to 4.45pm.

Hull Truck development coordinator Katy Moore said: "We knew a high-profile chef like James Martin would be popular, but even we were surprised how quickly the tickets sold out.

"We had a fantastic response and, because the festival is being staged as a fundraising event, its success is great for the company.

"We now hope lots of people will come down on the day to have a look round the stalls, which will feature a whole host of tasty local produce.

"This is the first time Hull Truck has hosted an event such as this and we are hoping it will prove really popular not only with our regular patrons, but also appeal to people who may not have visited the theatre before."

The festival includes 25 local stallholders on both floors of the theatre.

These include Ribblesdale Cheese, of Bilton, Gold From The Wold, of Bridlington, and Riverford Organics, of Brough.

East Yorkshire's Wold Top Brewery will be among the stalls in the foyers.