YOUNGSTERS studied the biology of saliva and importance of nasal mucus with help from a TV 'gastronaut'.

Food star Stefan Gates treated children from St Wilfrid's R C Primary School and Escomb Primary School to a session of entertaining experiments at a show at Bishop Auckland Town Hall.

The session saw teachers eat locusts and try sour delights as pupils looked on in delight.

Mr Gates taught the children about the body in a fun and engaging way.

He said: "We have been doing an outreach project today with local schools.

"We used food to explore science and science to explain food. We have been blowing things up and looking at colour changing cocktails using normal foods which are actually extraordinary.

"The kids have been amazing, and the teachers have been exemplary for taking part. The kids and teachers around these parts are awesome."

The star is known for his work broadcasting and writing about his food adventures touching on topics including, science, nutrition, maths, bizarre foods, history and society.

He has written and presented 18 extraordinary BBC TV shows including Gastronuts and Incredible Edibles for CBBC.

His Bishop Auckland live show incorporated topics he explored in the shows including the digestive system.

Mr Gates told the children how their bodies work using a fun lifelike model, he wanted to engage the children in a way that would make them laugh and learn at the same time.

During the show, he also shared insights with the children from his new book.

Mr Gates recently wrote Fartology, the first ever book to take a comprehensive, scientific look at the body’s extraordinary methane-making abilities.

He explores the journey of food and the strange science behind intestinal gas.

Mr Gates hopes to explore the subject further when he visits the North-East for Bishop Auckland Food Festival later this month.

He said: "Bishop Auckland Food Festival will have more experiments and more explosions. We are going to be doing some edible chemistry experiments and will have a huge amount of fun with people. We will get them to taste things they have never tasted before, it's all about turning food into an adventure."

  • The star will visit the festival on Saturday April 13 and 14.
  • To book your tickets to the event visit bishopaucklandfoodfestival.co.uk/stefan-gates-tickets/
  • Don't miss Tuesday’s Northern Echo for a special eight-page pull-out featuring everything you need to know about the festival. including a map of the site.