Williams, who currently holds the National Chef of the Year title, served a mouth-watering pea and scallop dish while sharing his top tips on getting ahead. Young National Chef of the Year ambassador Mark Sargeant also inspired guests by encouraging chefs of the future to find their feet in the industry and to not rush their career progression.

Also taking part in the demonstration were Unilever's business development chef Tim Franklin-Heys and Steve Munkley, executive chef at the Royal Garden Hotel in Kensington and Craft Guild vice president.

Munkley said: “It’s great that chefs at the top of their game such as Alyn and Mark, aren’t afraid to get cooking with a range of ingredients from a mystery basket.

“It just proves that they love what they do. They were very open about their careers, the challenges they face in running a successful business and how they prepared for big competitions like Young National and National Chef of the Year.”

The Chef Knowledge Exchange covered a number of topical issues, including: food waste, top food trends, how to break into the industry and how to overcome business challenges such as staffing.