The current series of Masterchef sees a number of changes on the usual format, which one of its hosts believes will bring out the best in the home cooks.

Allowing the contestants to demonstrate their own home cooking enables them to showcase what they have to offer, John Torode said in an interview with the Daily Express.

"That means that they can set their own benchmark, we know how good they can be and the whole thing is a bit of joy to be honest," Torode commented.

He emphasised that one of the most difficult things that home cooks encounter is timing, especially when participants in the show are cooking for a restaurant full of people.

Research from Mintel recently showed that people in the UK are poised to spend less in restaurants this year than they did 2010.

Just ten per cent of those polled revealed they intend to spend more over the coming 12 months.