OCEAN Terminal threw open its doors yesterday to Edinburgh’s newest market.

Soon to be renamed PORTA, the mall showcases local artisan arts, crafts and confectionery at the new PORTA Waterfront Market.

The city’s Lord Provost Frank Ross, local MSP Ben Macpherson, celebrity chef Tony Singh and TV presenter Gail Porter attended a special preview event, when the

Lord Provost officially opened the market, which will be a permanent feature three days a week at the centre.

The new addition will bring an element of relaxed market shopping to Ocean Terminal and will take place every Friday, Saturday and Sunday until November. In December it will become a Christmas market with many traders bringing their festive wares from around the world.

Guests at a preview event on Thursday night were able to sample the produce from a wide selection of stalls and joined Singh as he showed how to make the most of local fresh market ingredients during a cooking demonstration hosted by Scottish television presenter Porter.

As he declared the PORTA Waterfront Market open, Ross said: “Leith consistently tops polls as a great place to live, work, eat out and shop.

“It also has a thriving creative community and this new market will marry Leith’s artisans with the area’s main shopping centre.

“With its location next to one of the city’s highest rated visitor attractions, the Royal Yacht Britannia, and with trams due to take people straight to the centre in the near future, it has the potential to become a real community and visitor hub.

“What a great way to showcase and boost the local community and economy.”

Organised and run by LocalMotive Markets, PORTA Waterfront

Market will support young entrepreneurs, delivering an opportunity for the local businesses and young traders to reach out to the community by providing them with access to sell in the busy shopping space.

LocalMotive wanted to create a “market with meaning”, saying that the stalls were chosen from a collection of local natural and low/no plastic businesses.