When judging National Chef of the Year entries, it was found that Campbell had not only entered the competition, but his menu made it into the top 40 after impressing the panel. As judging is completed anonymously, we were sad to discover that Matt would be unable to take his semi-final spot.

The Kendal chef was running the Marathon for The Brathay Trust in honour of his father, Martin. In the days following the run, thousands of people pledged to complete ‘3.7 extra miles’ in memory of the MasterChef: The Professionals star.

Our ‘Matt Campbell Extra Mile Award’ will be presented to one of the ten NCOTY finalists, who made a big impression on judges in both the build-up and during the contest.

David Mulcahy, vice-president of the Craft Guild of Chefs, explained why the award is so special to National Chef of the Year: “We wanted to recognise the work of Matt Campbell, and of our 10 dedicated finalists.

“Throughout the competition, we’ve been looking at every element of the chefs’ work, not only when competing but in the part they play as ambassadors for our industry. ]

“As the most prestigious chef award, we recognise the role NCOTY has in inspiring all those who work in hospitality and celebrating the positive work that goes on to attract and retain talent, promote culinary skills and encourage sustainability.

“I feel honoured to introduce this award and am looking forward to revealing our first winner next week.”

Chair of judges Gary Jones has overall responsibility in finding the 2018 Matt Campbell Extra Mile Award winner.

He said: “In recent years there has been a lot of discussion about creating positive environments in modern kitchens, and how senior chefs support the youngsters around them.

“It’s vital that we work together to ensure we are truly nurturing the next generation to succeed in our industry. The National Chef of the Year is a key part of this mission with its long list of ambassadors, judges and competitors who always go the extra mile to develop their teams and steer the industry forward towards a sustainable future.”

The Craft Guild of Chefs will announce the winner of the first Matt Campbell Extra Mile Award winner during the NCOTY VIP celebration, taking place at Adam Handling’s The Frog (Covent Garden) next week (2 October).

If you are unable to make the live final at The Restaurant Show, you can find out who the winners are of both the overall competition and this new award by following the Craft Guild of Chefs and the #NCOTY on Twitter @Craft_Guild, Instagram @CraftGuildofChefs and www.facebook.com/craftguildofchefs.