A feast of star names is the perfect recipe for Christmas

Names such as Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, Ainsley Harriott, Brian Turner and James Martin braved the freezing conditions to share some of their kitchen secrets.

They were in town for the first Harrogate Love Cooking At Christmas Festival which took place on Sunday.

The festive theme was in keeping with the wintery conditions outside as hundreds of food lovers watched their favourite stars cook up a Christmas treat.

The event, which has previously been held in London, Bristol and Edinburgh, saw River Cottage favourite Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall open the show which was compered throughout by BBC Radio 2's resident foodie, Nigel Barden.

Hugh prepared a series of seasonal dishes giving his "Spade, Fork (Cracker) Spoon" demonstration.

He was followed by Rachel Allen with her easy-to-follow, practical recipes that are "restorative, nurturing and fulfilling" in a presentation entitled "Winter recipes from heart and home".

Rachel's dishes celebrated all that is special about food and family at Christmas time.

Television favourite Ainsley Harriott entertained the 1,000 plus visitors with some Caribbean dishes from his childhood, in his show entitiled "Colour, Spice: Soul Food".

It was double trouble as the festival headed toward evening when Antony Worrall Thompson and Oz Clarke came together to celebrate food and drink at Christmas

Local chef James Martin closed the show by preparing a series of classic festival dishes and he was joined by special guests Yorkshire's original Calendar Girls.

Local food hero Stephanie Moon joined forces with the Yorkshire and Humber Love Food Hate Waste Project and the York and North Yorkshire Waste Partnership to bring Love Food Hate Waste to the festival.

Taking the leftovers from the likes of James Martin, Ainsley Harriott and Hugh Fearnley-Whittingstall, and turning them into fabulous food was the order of the day. There were tonnes of inspiring Christmas recipes, from turkey risotto to mini-Yorkshire puddings filled with mustard chipolatas in cranberry sauce.

Everything was each made in under 30 minutes (including prep time) showing how easy it is to not only save waste from your bin but also to help put pounds back in your pocket.

With no less than 13 demonstrations throughout the day, Stephanie wowed show-goers with her innovative yet easy, and very tasty, ways of making your food go further.

The stall had more than 1,000 visitors throughout the day, including some very famous faces. Ainsley Harriott, Antony Worrall Thompson, Brian Turner and host Nigel Barden all visited the stall to pledge their support to the campaign; echoing just how important it is to watch what we waste this festive season.

Visitors to the stand were not only treated to tasty samples of the delicious dishes but could take home recipe cards and handy waste-reducing tools such as spaghetti measurers and bag clips.

Love Cooking Festivals are a celebration of cooking and food at its very best. Up and down the country some of the UK's top chefs have been cooking their most popular dishes and new creations while offering tips and trade secrets for the simplest of suppers to the most extravagant of dinner parties.

Harrogate saw the finale to the festival's tour and it is hoped the event will be repeated next year.

For more recipe ideas and handy storage tips to keep food fresher for longer visit www.lovefoodhatewaste.com