The award was presented to McKown at the Skills for Chefs and Service Conference gala dinner held at the university on July 10.

McKown, who is head of training, quality, accommodation and commercial services at the university, has masterminded the Skills for Chefs conference for 15 years and launched the new Service conference this year to great acclaim.

Bennett explained: “This award is long overdue for the contribution that David McKown has made to the industry; the Skills for Chefs conference is enriching the industry and the Master Chefs of Great Britain wanted to acknowledge his achievements.”

McKown said: “The award was a complete shock as I have not put on my whites in a professional kitchen for many years – the certificate will be displayed in my kitchen at home and I look forward to many more years of organising the conference and bringing new and established talent to the conference kitchen.”

• For further details on the 2013 conferences, visit www.skillsforchefs.co.uk/www.skillsforservice.co.uk