It is a competitive cooking show aired on BBC One and it is a spin-off from the main MasterChef series. Open to all professional working chefs it features any level from Michelin-starred kitchens to good old fashioned pubs. It first aired in 2008.
Gregg Wallace was the long-serving judge, until 2025, and over the years he was joined by MasterChef judge John Torode, Michel Roux Jr. from two-Michelin-star Le Gavroche plus his then sous chef Monica Galetti.
In 2014, it was announced that Michel had left the show due to "a conflict in commercial interests" and he was replaced by two Michelin-starred Marcus Wareing.
From 2025, the judging trio has been Marcus Wareing, Monica Galetti and Matt Tebbutt.
“There’s not been that many times where I’ve been proud of myself in my life, but I’ve hit the pinnacle! This whole competition has changed my life. I’m forever grateful.”