TV chef James Martin thrilled a packed-out crowd as he gave a live cookery demonstration.
It has been eight years since he made such an appearance and he chose Fenwick, in Colchester High Street, as the venue for the rare outing.
Tickets for the one-off event sold out within hours with hundreds of lucky fans able to watch the star do what he does best.
The chef and presenter recently travelled across America for his latest series James Martin’s American Adventure which also has an accompanying recipe book.
Speaking before the cookery demonstration, he explained getting to meet fellow foodies was important to him.
The chef said: “I haven’t actually done one of these for a long time, about eight years, so this is a real treat.
“When I was doing the show every Saturday, it took up a lot of my time and so it made things like that a bit harder.
“But today I can meet people and talk to them and also go back to my restaurant in Manchester today and cook in my restaurant, which is what I still love to do.”
He added: “It is what I started out doing and I can switch my phone off and just get stuck in.”
Having presented the BBC’s Saturday Kitchen as its permanent host for a decade, James left the role last year to try new things.
He now presents a weekly show on ITV which is filmed in his home.
His trip to Colchester was a rare opportunity for fans as James said he was busy well into 2020.
Dean Hawes, a buyer for the store’s kitchenware department, said more than 300 people turned up for the demonstration, with many standing if they were not able to get a pre-booked seat to enjoy the event.
James showed the audience how to cook baked aubergine and shallots, prawn curry and naan bread and chocolate cake with banana ice cream and spun sugar using equipment he helped design with electrical company Wahl.
Dean said: “He was funny and entertaining and was really interacting with the crowd.
“A few people were saying it does not often come across on television how funny he actually is and afterwards he stayed much longer than had been previously arranged in order to sign his book for fans.
“The queue went right the way round the shop which shows how popular he is in Essex.”
Those who missed him yesterday will get the chance to see him again in the county when he appears at the Essex Fine Food Show at Chelmsford Race Course on May 12.
James said Essex has a lot to be proud of by way of its food and celebration of it.
He added: “I always cook with Maldon Salt and I love Saltmarsh lamb too.
“I really look forward to the Essex food festivals which have really grown since I first did it at Braintree.
“They took a risk when they first started out by booking big name chefs and now they are huge.”
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