Five former champions return to the kitchen to compete for the ultimate prize. Facing two demanding challenges set by MasterChef judges John Torode and Gregg Wallace are 2011 champion Tim Anderson, 2014 champion Ping Coombes, 2017 champion Saliha Mahmood-Ahmed, 2018 champion Kenny Tutt and 2019 champion Irini Tzortzoglou. First, the returning champions are challenged to create a comforting dish rooted in a memory. In the second round, the champions have two hours and 15 minutes to cook their best two courses for John and Gregg, to show just how far they and their food have come.