IT'S a production guaranteed to tempt your theatrical tastebuds!

From the moment you walk into the theatre greeted by the smell of fresh (slightly burnt) toast you know you're in for something a little different.

Toast - based on the best-selling memoir by food writer Nigel Slater - is a wonderfully evocative evening.

It follows Nigel's childhood and his first forays into food. In part it's a love letter to his mother and is also a nostalgic look back to the Sixties.

But don't be fooled into thinking this will be some marshmallow, syrupy offering - at times it's bitter sweet as young Nigel's relationship with his father deteriorates following his mother's untimely early death and the arrival of an unwanted step mum.

Giles Cooper plays the young Nigel - an appealing mix of a Just William-style schoolboy and confused adult in the making.

He even shows off some impressive knife technique as he prepares a dish from scratch live on stage.

Food is at the heart of everything in this production. Be prepared to munch your way through some sweets handed out by the cast and, without giving too much away, make sure you observe the rules about Walnut Whips - it's a moment when audience and cast combine to produce a symphony of rustling wrappers.

The staging and the background music add so much to this production - the scene where Talking Heads Psycho Killer blasts out while Nigel and Auntie Joan (Samantha Hopkins) battle it out for culinary supremacy is inspired. And throughout there are some lovely moments of choreography as kitchen units spin and ingredients appear.

Even if you have never heard of Nigel Slater, which is unlikely, you will find yourself falling under Toast's gentle yet seductive spell.

Rather like a good souffle, it's light, tempting and leaves you more than satisfied.

Until Saturday. Details from www.thelowry.com