People who are a dab hand with a chefs knife and follow a healthy diet could find that they are more effective when it comes to work than their colleagues.

That is the opinion of Carole Spiers, the chief executive of the Carole Spiers Group, who said that chefs knife skills could translate into boardroom success.

Ms Spiers explained: "To ensure that you have a smooth running team, a pro-active team, an innovative and inspiring team, you have to get to the employees by what they're eating and drinking."

She added: "Employers do not have to necessarily bring in the food for them, but what they are trying to do is make the people aware so they start bringing in the right foods themselves."

Earlier this week, it was reported that food inflation in the UK is three-times higher than the rest of Europe – making inventive cooking more important.