CHOCOLATIERS have been battling it out in York to win the ultimate prize of having their bar commercially produced by Nestlé.

A film crew descended on the city to capture The Hairy Bikers Chocolate Challenge for a five-part series which started this week on Channel 5.

Seven contestants compete through various skill rounds to create, brand and name their very own confectionery. The money-can’t-buy prize is the chance to design their own take on one of the world’s best-selling chocolate bars, to be rolled out nationwide.

They were let loose inside Nestlé York factory, and also filmed in the Cookery School of The Grand, York's only five-star hotel.

Nestlé’s confectionery brands and its people feature in the new series which is on Wednesdays at 9pm, with footage from its York factory.

Cheryl Allen, head of insight, sustainability and nutrition, health and wellness, was one of the judges, and said: “This was a fantastic opportunity for us to showcase Nestlé’s confectionery brands and the expertise of its people.

"It was fascinating to see how the skills of the contestants developed throughout the show and I know that they valued the insights that Nestlé was able to offer them, as well as the opportunity to see some of our best-loved brands being made. I hope that everyone enjoys the show as much as we enjoyed taking part!”

Katie Ewer, sales executive for the Cookery School, said the filming was kept secret although guests spotted Hairy Biker duo Si King and Dave Myers around the hotel.

"With them working with Nestlé they wanted to use somewhere local and they got in touch with me last October. We have a very versatile space.What appealed to them was that they didn't have to change much. They booked us out for two weeks, apart from a couple of individual bookings in between, and took over the space."