A Sussex chef is set to battle it out in the final of the BBC’s MasterChef The Professionals tonight.

Steven Edwards has seen off chefs from across the country in the last few weeks and now lines up against Scottish pair Scott Davies, 27, and Adam Handling, 25.

Tonight will see him flour down his surfaces and sharpen his knives for the last time before the winner is announced.

He said: “It has been an incredible experience, something I will never forget.

“The series was filmed in the summer over 10 weeks. It was really intense at the time so it is nice to sit back and watch it all now.

“I haven’t been able to tell anyone the result, not even my wife.”

Mr Edwards, who is head chef at South Lodge Hotel’s Camellia restaurant, near Horsham, sailed through the early rounds, impressing judges Gregg Wallace, Michel Roux Jr and Monica Galetti.

In the semi-final he was sent to Heston Blumenthal’s London restaurant Dinner where he again proved his talent.

The final saw him jet off to Italy to spend two days in the kitchens of the third best restaurant in the world, Osteria Francescana.

He said: “That was one of the highlights. To be given that amount of personal time with Massimo Bottura (head chef) was something quite incredible. Not even his own chefs get that kind of time with him.

“I took so much from those few days. It was an experience I will never forget.”

Last night’s episode saw him cook for a selection of the best chefs in the country and this evening he will cook a three-course meal for judges Wallace, Galetti and Roux Jr.

The married dad-of-two’s journey into food began when he studied an NVQ in professional cooking, aged 17.

After graduating he went straight into professional kitchens and now holds the title of head chef.

He said: “My cooking style is modern British, sourcing as much as possible from the South East and Sussex area.”

The final will be shown on BBC2 at 8pm