About the series MasterChef - the country's biggest and toughest amateur cooking competition - has just finished its second series. Top chef and restaurateur John Torode, and vegetable guru Gregg Wallace, have chosen a winner.

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Who competed? About the programme

Taking part in future series Take the MasterChef course

The competition was open to amateur cooks who wanted to change their lives and make cooking their career. The MasterChef TV team scoured the UK for contestants with the right combination of talent, ambition, drive and - most of all - passion for cooking, to test their mettle in the MasterChef kitchens.

There were applications from stockbrokers, pub landlords, hairdressers and estate agents. Slowly, the list of 4,000 wannabe MasterChefs was whittled down to a shortlist of 'auditionees'.

The MasterChef auditions were the real test of each person’s talent - and nerve. Would-be MasterChefs were asked to bring their best sample of cooking with them to the audition. Without cooking or re-heating facilities, the hopeful contestants had to use their imagination and common sense. From ceviches to quiches, there was a staggeringly eclectic array of foods.

The cream of the crop - a total of 132 people - were ultimately invited to take part in the filming of MasterChef.

The second series ran every weekday for eight weeks on BBC Two at 6.30pm, starting on Monday 23 January and finishing on Friday 17 March.

In the first round of heats, six of the successful contestants faced three high-pressure tests:

• First, they had to invent a dish from scratch in 40 minutes, using only the ingredients they’ve been given.
• Second, the three contestants who showed the most potential had to survive the heat of a professional kitchen. They had to cook for over 150 people in Papageno, a busy restaurant in the heart of London's theatre district.
• Finally, they had to impress the judges by cooking a two-course meal that showed they have flair, skill and the potential to make it as a great chef.

Only one of the three got through to that week’s quarter final - which took place on the Friday - and one step closer to becoming MasterChef. There were five weeks of heats in total, with each quarter finalist winner going through to the semi-finals in week seven of the series.

Week six saw an exciting twist when three of the best contestants from Series One returned for a week of heats and a second bash at making it through to the semi-finals and ever closer to the coveted title of MasterChef. One of them, Daksha Mistry, became a 2006 finalist.

The tension mounted during week seven as the remaining six contestants were put through their paces in the semi-finals. A dramatic knock-out saw two of the six sent home on the Monday, a third went home on the Friday.

The series culminated in the increasingly tough week of finals. The remaining three contestants faced gruelling pressure to prove themselves and their culinary ability to win the life-changing title of MasterChef.

Find out if you've got what it takes to become a BBC MasterChef by completing the BBC MasterChef Online course Levels 1 and 2.