Le Bistro in Wendover and The Green Dragon in Haddenham have been selected as two of the venues where contestants will do battle in the kitchens to win the coveted prize of their very own business.

French chef Raymond Blanc, owner of the Le Manoir aux Quat' Saisons restaurant near Thame, will be masterminding the series and eliminating contestants along the way, as they draw towards the final where a restaurant, funded and helped by Mr Blanc himself will be handed to the winners.

Filming in Le Bistro will take place over an eight-week period, starting on Wednesday May 21, with the contestants trading on a Friday and Saturday nights only. Paying customers will be acting as restaurant critics and may even appear in the series.

A spokesperson from Le Bistro said they didn't yet know who the contestants would be, but with two of the resident chefs currently unable to work, the timing was perfect.

Mr Blanc had been at Le Bistro just last week to talk to the manager about the impending set-up, he said.

He is also expected to make regular appearances during filming on Friday or Saturday nights, when the budding restauranters hope to be cooking their way to the next round.

The Green Dragon in Haddenham has been recently taken over by new operators and before the new owners set to work on revamping the restaurant, the BBC will use the venue to film. As soon as the filming has finished - depending on how long the contestants stay in the competition, the owners will re-open The Green Dragon with a new menu and redesigned interior.