Former MasterChef judges Matt Preston and Gary Mehigan are set to return to Australian TV screens next year.

The beloved duo has officially secured a gig hosting Seven’s new cooking show Plate of Origin.

Notably absent from the line-up is embattled former teammate George Calombaris, who recently attracted controversy after substantially underpaying his staff in his Melbourne restaurants.

The chefs will team up with My Kitchen Rules judge Manu Feildel for the culinary competition.

Manu Fieldel will join the two MasterChef judges. Photo: Seven

Pitched as “the Olympics of cooking”, the new show is set to launch around the time of the Tokyo Olympics and will see different teams showcase different cuisines in a competitive setting.

“Food superstars Matt Preston and Gary Mehigan will team up with Manu Feildel for Plate of Origin, a cooking competition with a truly international flavour,” Seven said in a press release late Wednesday.

They also announced the new show on their Instagram page, sharing a photo of the all-star lineup of judges.

The three judges left MasterChef last year over a pay dispute. Photo: Network 10

“Food superstars Matt Preston (@mattscravat) and @GaryMehigan join @manufeildelofficial for Plate of Origin, where we’re not just reaching every corner of Australia… We’re going BIGGER!” they captioned it.

“Which cuisine will reign supreme in this worldwide food fight? Let the flames begin.”

Preston, Calombaris and Mehigan unceremoniously left Network Ten over a contract dispute earlier this year.

The trio reportedly chose to walk away from their high-profile roles after the network refused to give them a significant pay boost.

Calombaris was also facing backlash over underpaying his staff to the tune of nearly $8million between 2011 and 2017.