The heat will be on in restaurants around West Dorset when a Michelin-starred chef stirs up some competition as part of the Spirit of Bridport’s Festival of Culture.

Russell Brown, Dorset’s only chef to hold the coveted star and owner of Sienna in Dorchester , is holding a pop-up challenge as the highlight of the programme’s food events.

On Sunday August 26 the competition hots up as four up-and-coming local chefs cook up a storm to try to win the top prize.

Russell will spend time with each chef privately prior to the event to help them create their menu and coach them through potential challenges and pitfalls.

There will be a strong focus on seasonality and sourcing local ingredients and on Pop-Up Challenge night, Russell will visit each restaurant venue to grade the chefs on various criteria and sample the dishes presented. Then, in combination with scores obtained via diner feedback, he will decide the winner and award the top prize.

The competing chefs are Dom Brown at Hix Oyster and Fish House in Lyme Regis, his brother Dan Brown at the Wild Garlic in Beaminster, Stef Brown at Bridport’s Bull Hotel and Ali Smith from the Half Moon Inn in Melplash.