Ten has announced Masterchef Australia will be returning on Monday April 29 for its 11th season.

The reality show will see a new batch of 24 amateur cooks enter the Masterchef kitchen, with judges Matt Preston, Gary Mehigan and George Calombaris returning.

Also returning will be Masterchef alumni Poh Ling Yeow, Billie McKay and Matt Sinclair who will join the judges as mentors each week. In 2018, chef Shannon Bennett held the mentor role.

Nigella Lawson will be joining the show for the fourth time, hosting her own week. Chefs Rick Stein, Clare Smyth and Yotam Ottolenghi will join the show for Legends Week.

ADVERTISEMENT

Regular series guest Curtis Stone will also appear, joining from LA for the Keeping Up With Curtis challenge, and Maggie Beer will again appear for a challenge at the iconic Hanging Rock.

The 2019 season will also feature a black-tie event at Melbourne’s State Library and a week in Queensland.

Ten has announced the show will run in the 7.30pm timeslot, filling the space left by Dancing With The Stars which airs its final episode April 22. Chris and Julia’s Sunday Night Takeaway has also ended, leaving a clear space for Masterchef on Sundays as well. Bachelor in Paradise is currently running in the 7.30pm slot Tuesday to Thursday.

Historically, Masterchef rates well for Ten, with the 2018 season regularly pulling in audiences over 800,000. My Kitchen Rules on Seven will enter its semi-finals next week, and Nine has not yet announced its plans for the 7.30pm slot when the Easter non-ratings period finishes, although Lego Masters will premier at 7pm on Sunday April 28 and The Voice is still in the network’s slate.