The season of cooking competitions is in full swing as we welcomed the arrival of the Great British Menu to our screens.

The 11th series sees three of Scotland’s top chefs – Jak O’Donnell, Jimmy Lee and Graham Campbell – work the kitchen for a chance to cook a four-course feast at a banquet marking 100 years of the Women’s Institute.

And with that, the chefs all had to create modern dishes that echoed the first-class home cooking of the women of Britain, in the hopes of impressing one of the country’s finest food connoisseurs, Michelin-starred Michael Smith.

Jak, who is no stranger to the competition, having lost the chance of victory just before the final round in the last series, opted to make her a dish that sparked fond memories of her grandmother.

The restaurateur worked up a sweat to make a barley and oat bread pot, filling it with tender mutton and a percolated (yes, really) soup.

Newcomer Jimmy Lee took inspiration from his mother’s Asian cuisine, creating a traditional Chinese conjee with a British spin.

He crumbled pork belly, artichoke and century eggs (gulp!) onto a chicken-infused rice, topping the dish with spring onions and edible flowers.

Last but not least was Graham, one of the youngest chefs in Scotland to retain a Michelin star at 25-years-old, who took a risk with his heavily smoked picnic-inspired dish – much to Michael’s dismay.

Along with smoked rabbit, he put his own spin on the well-known (and well-loved) Victoria sponge cake, filling a savoury brioche with a blackberry compote.

Our mouths were watering as the three chefs plated up their starters and laid them out in front of Michael, while secretly wishing we could taste a tiny morsel of the tantalising dishes.

The judge praised Jak on her strong flavours and nutty bread, though granted her six points due to her presentation. Jimmy also collected six points for his hearty Brit-Asian broth, though was warned about his portion sizes. But it was Graham that took the lead, racking up eight points for his brave take on the savoury Victoria sponge.

Graham may have stolen the early lead but it’s not too late for the other chefs to catch up – they’ll all be back on our screens tomorrow as they battle it out to cook up a winning fish course.