MasterChef hosts Gregg Wallace and John Torode say the BBC show has revolutionised cooking in the UK as the competition returns for it’s 20th series

MasterChef’s Gregg Wallace and John Torode have spoke about the effect the long-running show has had on UK cooks ahead of the series returning for it’s 20th series on Monday.

The duo, who have been hosting the show since it’s 2005 relaunch, will soon welcome back a brand new batch of amateur cooks as they take on ‘the most extraordinary tasks’ yet. 

Speaking ahead of the new series Gregg, 59, and John, 58, said they believed the show had helped revolutionise the UK food scene and introduced dishes that viewers would otherwise never have heard of. 

With John saying: ‘I think [MasterChef] opens a world up to people. I think even four years ago, what we thought was really impressive at the time, we’re probably now cooking in our own homes’. 

‘And that comes about because the food scene is not dictated necessarily by MasterChef alone but certainly by a few big food shows’.

‘Those viewers are watching thing things like MasterChef, and they’re taking ideas. If you consider Baba Ghanoush, it probably wouldn’t be on supermarket shelves if it wasn’t for MasterChef’.

Before adding: ‘So, yes, absolutely do believe that cookery shows have a massive impact on the way in which we perceive, enjoy and cook food’.

John then went on to discuss about how the compeition’s dishes had changed over the years: ‘If you consider then the first ever series, in the final, we had a starter of pâté and soda bread. So that will give you an idea of how far the competition’s come in 20 years’.

‘Whether it be Thai or Chinese, whether it be Mexican or West Indian, we’ve seen lots and lots of trends come through, stay and go. But as I say, now what we’re seeing is this multicultural country, being very, very proud of the different things we do’.

Meanwhile Gregg said that the show had not only opened viewers eyes but also his own and introduced him to different styles of cooking.  

‘I don’t think I would ever have come across some of these ingredients if it hadn’t been for MasterChef. I don’t know where I would have stumbled across some of these food styles from different bits of the planet if it hadn’t been for MasterChef. 

Adding: ‘So, every single week, I think “ooh, I fancy doing that at home” and that may be exactly the same for the people watching’.

The new series will see fifty-eight passionate and talented hopefuls from all walks of life, such as a farmer, archaeologist and musical director, will show what they can do. 

Viewers can expect to see the contestants, who hail from Dorset and Sunderland to the Scottish Borders and North Wales, serve up their food and cultural heritage in the hopes of making it to the final. 

Up first, the amateurs must earn the right to wear a MasterChef apron in two new challenges: Basic to Brilliant, taking an everyday ingredient and turning it into something spectacular; and an Invention Test with a twist as they are challenged to create a plate of food based around a set element such as gnocchi, trout, meringue, or quail. 

The last four standing will then show off their own style in two courses served to three familiar faces from MasterChef series past. That Quarter Final brief is then set by some of country’s toughest critics and chefs.

The fifth week will be a celebration of MasterChef talent before its sixth week sees contestants whittled down to just 16 for Knockout Week. 

The culinary tasks include a Market Invention Test in the MasterChef kitchen; the opportunity to step inside a professional kitchen for the first time and deliver a lunch service at two of London’s top restaurants – Nessa, led by Executive Chef Tom Cenci, and Joia, under Head Chef Jose Jara; and back in the MasterChef kitchen contestants will create nine identical portions of a canapé.

Later, semi finalists will have to cater an extraordinary event celebrating MasterChef’s legacy and emerging talent, as well its wider influence on the UK’s culinary food scene; tackling an ingredient they didn’t enjoy as a child; creating a theatrical and surprising dish; impressing Michelin-starred Swedish chef, Niklas Ekstedt; and finally, creating a plate of food inspired by a past contestant.

The four finalists will travel to the culinary melting pot of Singapore -where they will take on a trio of exciting challenges at Chong Pang Hawker Market, Pangium. 

Back in London, the final four will cook on Chef’s Table at globally-revered Le Gavroche, delivering one of the iconic restaurant’s last services before it closes its doors for the last time – all under the watchful eye of world-leading chef and past MasterChef: The Professionals judge, Michel Roux Jr. 

Finally, after one finalist is sent packing, it’s back to the studio where the Final Three must produce the best three dishes of their lives for John and Gregg – before one is crowned the 20th winner.