MasterChef welcomes a new batch of amateurs

In theory, the lockdowns of the last couple of years saw more people embracing cooking and trying out new recipes (providing they could get the ingredients, of course).

But does this mean that we’re now all much more skilled in the kitchen?

We’re about to find out as Gregg Wallace and John Torode welcome a new batch of talented amateurs who will be vying it out for the MasterChef title.

The judges have been at the helm of the show since 2005, so they should know the drill by now. It seems they’ll also be sampling great plates of food for the foreseeable future, as it was recently announced that the BBC has signed a deal to keep MasterChef and its assorted spin-offs on our screens until at least 2028. The show is even getting a new home in Birmingham from 2024.

However, just because MasterChef is a winning formula, it doesn’t mean it can’t occasionally be tweaked, and the contestants who have signed up for this year’s new series will find themselves facing some new challenges.

For the first five weeks, nine hopefuls will arrive, ready to cook for the judges. This year, their first test is the Audition Round, which sees them rustling up the signature dish that will show who they are as a cook and how good they could become.

However, John and Gregg won’t be in the MasterChef kitchen to watch them make it. Instead, they will sample each dish in the Tasting Room, judging solely on the plate in front of them. So, in theory, it doesn’t matter how chaotic the cooking process was so long as the end result is great.

John and Gregg will pick their three favourites, and those chefs will get a MasterChef apron – and immunity from the next round. The six who didn’t quite make the grade get another chance to make a Signature Dish. The rules are that if they initially served up a savoury dish, this one must be sweet, and vice versa. Also, this time, Gregg and John will be watching their every move in the kitchen.

At the end of the episode, four cooks will be joining the other three in the second episode, but for two, the MasterChef dream is already over. Friday’s second episode will see the seven remaining hopefuls tackling the Market Challenge, as they must invent a dish on the spot drawing from ingredients which in this instance will include monkfish, quail and lamb – and someone will be going home at the end of it.

The six that make the cut will then face a task set by food critic Tom Parker Bowles, who asks them to make something inspired by their favourite holiday destination.

At the end of the episode just four will remain to make it through to the first quarter final, where they will have to impress John, Gregg and some MasterChef veterans. This week it’s Irini Tzortzoglou from 2019, Jane Devonshire from 2016 and Tim Anderson from 2011, who will be offering their opinions and reminding the contestants of the sort of careers available.

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