THE head chef of Bournemouth’s Hilton Hotel will take part in a blindfolded cooking competition to raise money for the Dorset Blind Association.

Food fanatics will get to enjoy a three-course meal while watching Matt Budden battle against other local chefs in front of a panel of industry experts who will score them on their creativity and skill.

Matt said: “Hilton Bournemouth has a long-standing commitment to creating opportunities for people from all backgrounds, and so I am very much looking forward to this challenge which promises to be very entertaining as well as supporting such a worthy initiative.”

The Test Your Senses evening will also welcome Dorset chef Dan Galton who starred in Michel Roux Jr’s channel 4 programme, Kitchen Impossible.

The 24-year-old, who suffers from sight loss, used to work at Bovington Army Barracks, serving over 3,000 meals each day.

In 2015, his life and career were turned upside down when he discovered he was losing his sight due to diabetes. Within only a year, he was completely blind.

Dorset Blind Association gave Dan the support and encouragement he needed to get him to where he is today.

“I have been given a new hope. Just because I have lost my sight, doesn’t mean I have lost everything,” he said.

The charity aims to raise the final £10,000 of their £15,000 target needed to complete its year-long employment campaign, #tryitblind, which began in September 2015.

The total raised will fund a continuous project for working-age, visually-impaired people across the county, giving them the skills and experience needed in order to begin employment.

Over the year, the charity has been asking supporters to take part in the campaign by uploading videos to social media of themselves taking on a challenge blindfolded; anything from mowing the lawn to peeling a potato.

Supporters of the campaign include Julian Fellowes, the writer of Downton Abbey, and his wife, Emma Kitchener, Stephen Frears, director of The Queen and Philomena, and Conor Burns MP for Bournemouth West.

Test Your Senses will be held on Friday, September 23. Doors will open at 7pm and guests will be greeted with prosecco on arrival. Tickets are £60 per person, which includes the chef challenge, arrival drink, three-course meal with wine and coffee, plus cooking demonstrations from Dan Galton.

Tickets must be purchased in advanced by contacting Helena Sinclair on 01202 712864, or helena@dorsetblind.org.uk, or visiting testyoursenses.eventbrite.co.uk.