National Chef of the Year semi-finalists who are nervously awaiting news of who gets through to the final have all been invited to an exclusive event that will titillate the senses and test sensory theories of taste and flavour.

Simon Britten of Continental Chef Supplies said: “The idea for this event really came from the connections and camaraderie in previous years. To create an event where the semi-finalists could meet and share experiences, whilst at the same time be part of something innovative that can potentially be applied to everyday was quite special. To be able to do so with a co-sponsor really embodies what the competition means.”

The event will highlight the role of science and psychology in developing memorable culinary experiences.

A spokesperson for Churchill added: “For us the competition is a real highlight of the year in the UK, we’ve seen some amazing innovation and creativity already from the semi-finalists and it’s always really special when you get everybody together at this stage - sometimes meeting in person for the first time. The event itself is going to be an amazing learning experience for us all and we’re really looking forward to sharing that.”

The exclusive event will feature a talk by Professor Charles Spence, renowned Professor of Experimental Psychology and Head of the Crossmodal Research Laboratory at Oxford University, followed by immersive demonstrations by Kitchen Theory, led by Chef Jozef Youssef of how this research can be applied. The semi-finalists will experience how multisensory research has developed and its impact on flavour perception.

Speaking about the event, competition director David Mulcahy commented: “It’s great to see two of our long-term sponsors collaborating to bring the semi-finalists together. It all really highlights the spirit of the competition. The event promises to provide some really interesting perspectives and I’m really looking forward to learning more about this fascinating area.”