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The three chefs are halfway through their heat and the pressure is mounting. One chef left the competition at the end of the fish course, leaving the others to battle on and try and impress veteran Lisa Goodwin Allen with their main courses. One chef is creating an ambitious Boggis, Bunce and Bean Farmer’s Supper, honouring Fantastic Mr Fox, which features chicken curry and a range of tasty accompaniments. Another chef is basing their dish, inspired by the legend of the Welsh red dragon, around guinea fowl and potatoes. The final chef is cooking a feast fit for a king - King Arthur - and is making a duck pie for their Sword in the Stone-inspired main. Will Lisa’s high expectations be met or will she be left disappointed?

After the nail-biting scoring on the mains, presenter Susan Calman asks the chefs to prepare a pre-dessert or pre-pudding pudding. This is the second of the new mini-courses that will be served at this year’s banquet celebrating the success of children’s literature. Lisa blind-tastes and ranks them to use in the case of a tie, so the chefs need to produce the very best dishes they can.

After a glimpse of their pastry skills, it is on to dessert. The three chefs are pulling out all the stops as this is their last chance to impress Lisa and get through to the judges’ chamber tomorrow. There is a Willy Wonka-inspired Golden Egg, and another chef creates a marmalade sandwich as a homage to a much-loved character growing up – Paddington Bear. The final dessert is a fruity offering called Roald Dahl’s Drunken Peach in tribute to James and The Giant Peach, a childhood favourite of the chef’s. It features a peach poached in the finest Welsh sparkling wine.

The dessert course is always the most challenging as many elements have to be frozen and set. Who will keep their cool and create a blockbuster dish? Only two can proceed to Friday’s judging and have a chance to represent Wales at the regional finals.