Open to all chefs under the age of 29, they must submit a £45 per head four-course menu as well as costing’s for 50 covers to [email protected] to enter, by 30 April.

The “best” applicants will then take part in two regional finals (Manchester and London), where they will cook a dish for M group executive chef, Michael Reid, and guest judges. Top 20 finalists will continue to compete in a “series of pop-up takeover nights” at M’s “100% gluten-free restaurant,” M RAW, from 3 - 28 July, with diners and judges voting for their favourite dish.

Hoping to “find the best young talent in the kitchen,” the competition also benefits chefs by coaching them “around the commercial acumen in running a restaurant.”

Reid explained: “Young Chef of the Year is not only a cooking competition. We (M) mentor finalists on the business side of running a kitchen as well as marketing themselves and their menu – skills that are needed to create a successful career in the hospitality industry.”

With a line-up of judges including: M Restaurant owner Martin Williams; group executive chef Michael Reid and chefs Adam Handling, Claudio Cardoso, Cyrus Todiwala and more, the winner will be announced at an awards ceremony on 31 July, where they will be awarded a trip to Champagne, set of Kin Knives and chance to host their own five-day pop-up at M RAW.