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It’s national finals week on Great British Menu, where the winners from the regional heats compete to earn a place on the menu of a spectacular banquet celebrating British invention and innovation. Each episode sees the eight rivals compete over a different course, from starter through to dessert, where they are marked out of ten by an expert judging panel, which each episode features a different well-known guest judge.

In the first episode, comedian Phil Wang joins food critic Matthew Fort, restaurateur Oliver Peyton and cook and broadcaster Rachel Khoo on the judging panel. They’re tasked with picking a winner from eight innovative starter courses, which are all inspired by British innovators from the chef’s local regions or nations. The rivals pull out all the stops to impress, with dishes that are as varied for their choice of inspiration as they are for their style of food.

It's the first time the chefs have shared a kitchen, so the atmosphere is tense and competitive. And as some of the chefs have taken the opportunity to improve – or in some cases completely reinvent – their dishes since cooking them in the regional finals, there are some shock results.