MasterChef judges hunt out the most impressive talent in the industry and look to unearth the next culinary superstar

​Just weeks after Strictly pro Vito Coppola fought off stiff competition from Craig Doyle and Rochenda Sandall to be crowned this year’s celebrity champion, we’re back in the MasterChef kitchen again as a new series of the UK’s most revered cooking competition gets under way.

Over the next seven weeks, 32 of the country’s most ambitious chefs will be battling in a bid to succeed 2023 winner Tom Hamblet and become MasterChef: The Professionals champion.

They will have their skills, creativity and culinary knowledge put to the test in a series of demanding challenges as judges Marcus Wareing, Monica Galetti and Gregg Wallace hunt out the most impressive talent in the industry and look to unearth the next culinary superstar.

In tonight’s first heat, the first four chefs enter the kitchen, all hoping to secure a place in Friday’s quarter final.

First up is the infamous Skills Test as the first two chefs have ingredients laid out for them and are given just 20 minutes to show off their talents.

In the challenge set by Monica they have to make a carrot schnitzel and serve it with a white bean houmous and Middle Eastern herb sauce, Zhoug.

This is plant-based cookery at its best and will require chefs’ intuition and a little bit of flair.

There’s then a sweet dish for the two remaining chefs as they tackle a dessert brief given by Marcus.

Their job is to a rustle up choux pastry beignets (French-style doughnuts) and serve them with lavender sugar and a whipped orange cream.

Precise pastry work will be the order of the day here, as the chefs try to delight the judges with light fluffy sugary clouds.

The heat ends with all four chefs cooking their own two-course Signature Menu. Can they pull off an exceptional main and dessert in just one hour and 30 minutes?

In Thursday’s second heat, the next group of four chefs arrive and face another of Monica’s Skills Tests.

They are asked to prepare popcorn clams, a mussel fritter and a Bloody Mary mayonnaise.

With two types of batter, deep frying and pan frying, the chefs will need a steady hand to nail this brief.

Marcus then challenges the two other chefs to make a cheeseburger, which isn’t as easy as it sounds.

Using a vast selection of ingredients, including a variety of meats and seasonings, they can be as creative as they like, as long as the result is a perfectly formed burger that sets the judges’ taste buds alight.

In Friday’s first quarter final, the week’s best competitors don their chef whites to compete for a place in Knockout Week. However, there are two tricky challenges standing in their way.

First up, an Invention Test using a mystery ingredient – stout.

Then, it’s the infamous Critics Challenge, as they have to prepare two courses in one hour and 15 minutes.

Will their efforts impress esteemed critics Jay Rayner, William Sitwell and Leyla Kazim in the dining room?