The new series of Masterchef 2014 kicks off this week with sixty cooks battling for the MasterChef crown over the next few weeks.

The amateur cooks must try to prove to Judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace that they have the potential to be the tenth MasterChef champion. The contestants are asked to cook their calling card, a practiced dish that represents who they are as a cook and showcases their talent.

They then face the infamous invention test, for the first time choosing between two sealed boxes of ingredients – one sweet and one savoury. Chef John Torode takes on this challenge himself, showing the viewers at home just what is possible with the few ingredients.

The amateurs have just one hour to cook a dish good enough to keep them in the competition. The stakes are high because, after this test, two of them will go home.

The four remaining cooks face one more challenge to obtain a place in the quarter-final. Replicating the conditions of service, they have to cook an impressive menu for some very special guests. For the tenth anniversary of MasterChef, some of the competition’s most inspiring winners and finalists are returning to judge the food of these new pretenders to the throne.

After the four contestants have cooked, John and Gregg will decide which two will take the next step in the competition and go through to the first quarter-final.