Thousands of people are flocking to a glorious celebration of food.

The Brighton and Hove Food and Drink Festival is in full swing and during the weekend food fans poured into a market at the Corn Exchange at the Brighton Dome.

The Taste of Sussex Festival Market had dozens of stalls from traders offering ethically-produced food.

Festival chairman Roger Marlowe said he wanted to make September's food and drink festival as important to the city as the arts festival held in May.

He said: "It has gone brilliantly. We had 10,000 people at the market on Saturday, which is a phenomenal number."

He said the festival aims to encourage people to think about the food they eat and consider buying healthier, locally produced food.

It also brought people to Brighton and Hove and highlighted the range of restaurants in the city, which has more eateries per head than anywhere outside London.

He said: "The feedback we had from last year's festival was that we ought to be encouraging people to eat local food.

"As chairman of the Brighton and Hove Hotels Association I have been pushing restaurants and hotels to source local food and one major hotel is now seriously looking at sourcing local produce.

"If that happens, it will set a wonderful lead. That's what we are trying to do at the festival."

Linda Turvey, of Hen Heaven, has been rescuing battery chickens for nine years and was at the market with a turkey called Mr Darcy. She sells eggs from her rescued chickens to keep the sanctuary going and was at the market all weekend.

She said: "This is the first time I have been here and it has been fantastic. There has been a good atmosphere and a terrific range of foods."

The festival continues until the end of September and will include a Regency-style fancy dress banquet at the Royal Pavilion on September 14, a competition to find the city's best cocktail bar, a Spaghetti Opera, a wine tasting evening and a chance to be a chef for a day.

For more information, visit www.brightonfoodfestival.co.uk