The event, which took place at Leith’s School of Food & Wine, saw each chef cook a winning three-course menu that had originally secured them their place in the semi-finals.

Judge Nick Gourley, a consultant for the hospitality industry, commented: “The quality of cooking in the semi-finals far surpassed my expectations and all the chefs competing should be proud of reaching this stage of the competition. One or two clearly talented chefs allowed the 'competition pressure' to affect their performance; there were a couple of missing ingredients and some timing issues which cost these chefs a place in the final.

"The three finalists produced some very inspiring plates of food. I was particularly impressed with some of the intricate flavour combinations and depth of skills displayed."

Finalist Smith said: "I was very nervous before the competition started, however, as soon as I started to cook everything went to plan and I was happy with my overall execution of my dishes that I presented to the judges.”

In the final, the judging panel will consist of renowned chef Jean Christophe Novelli; current Blue Arrow resident chef Sudha Shankar Saha; Allister Bishop, executive sous chef at Harrods; Jim Norris, director of food catering at MITIE Facilities Management; and Andrew Bennett, executive chef and food & beverages manager at the Park Lane Hotel, London.

The winning chef will become Blue Arrow’s resident chef and company ambassador, giving him the opportunity to cook for some of UK’s top chefs, and will also win a gastro weekend getaway for two.