A new Turkish restaurant will open in Halstead later today.

La Mezze Turkish Cuisine will be welcoming members of the public for the first time having moved into a vacant building in Market Hill.

The new restaurant offers a variety of kebab dishes, alongside other popular meals such as steaks and moussaka. There will also be seafood and vegetarian options available to customers.

Owner Yusuf Sar, who previously ran Dost Meat, is entering the restaurant trade for the first time.

He said: "It has been a stressful few weeks setting it all up.

"I like Halstead a lot, I moved here recently and its a very clean and nice place to live. It seemed like a really good place to set up a restaurant.

"I think it will be a success because we offer something different. The chef will cook the food and and create it behind a front counter so people can see how it is made and how clean it all is.

"There has been quite a lot of interest so far and we are hoping it will go well."

The restaurant will open from 12pm today and will serve food up to 11pm, Monday to Sunday.

The official opening will take place on Wednesday, September 26 where customers can make the most of a 20 per cent discount.

La Mezze is opening in the building which had previously been occupied by Italian chain Prezzo.

Restaurant bosses pulled the plug on Prezzo's time in Halstead earlier this year as part of a company wide scheme to get rid of unprofitable branches and secure rent reductions on the remaining estate.

The departure of Prezzo means Halstead is now without a chain restaurant, with residents having to travel to either Braintree and Sudbury.