MasterChef has been crowned the world’s most successful cookery TV format.

It claims the Guinness World Record for being adapted by 52 countries – most recently in the Maldives, Costa Rica and Cambodia.

The current format first launched on British TV screens in 2005, when it was won by Thomasina Miers.

It has been picked up in Australia, the United States, Asia, the Middle East and Europe. The British show, which airs on the BBC, is judged by John Torode and Gregg Wallace.

Peter Salmon, chief creative officer of the Endemol Shine Group – which produces the show, said that the “accolade tastes very sweet indeed”.

Marco Frigatti, senior vice president of Records at Guinness World Records, added: “MasterChef is truly a worldwide hit and we are thrilled to recognise this much-loved show as the most successful cookery television format.”

Spin-offs include MasterChef Junior, Celebrity MasterChef and MasterChef: The Professionals.