A cybercrime and fraud prevention worker and a 61-year-old hospice volunteer are among the nine contestants to have reached the MasterChef semi-finals.
The remaining contenders, whittled down from 60 amateur cooks, were revealed following Friday night’s programme on BBC One.
Beverley, Charlotte, Jasmeet, Thomas, David, Sandy, Natasha, Christian and Claire will compete in next week’s three-part semi-final series.
Across the week, they will cater the Royal Navy warship HMS Diamond’s annual Trafalgar Night celebration dinner, attended by 120 servicemen and women.
They will also cook for professional chef Tom Kitchin, before working to win over some of the country’s top restaurant critics – Grace Dent, William Sitwell, Jay Rayner and Jimi Famurewa.
Among the female semi-finalists is 61-year-old Beverley, a hospice volunteer from Kent who lives with her husband of 32 years, Kevin, and their three children.
Technology consultant Sandy, 24, grew up in Macau until the aged of 13 before moving to Reading, where she started cooking aged 16.
Natasha, 32, lives in Essex but grew up in World’s End in Chelsea. She works as a garment technologist and has been with her boyfriend Martin for eight years.
Among the male contenders is 31-year-old David, a cybercrime and fraud prevention worker who lives in Greenwich, London, with his wife Gemma.
Graphic designer Jasmeet, 37, who is married with two daughters, grew up in Southall but lives in Slough.
Northampton-based rugby liaison officer Christian is 36 and married with two daughters.
Hosted by Gregg Wallace and John Torode, the semi-finals of MasterChef air on Monday, Wednesday and Thursday on BBC One.