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Dyson has announced plans to hire 20 chefs and catering assistants in Wiltshire following a decision to offer free lunches to staff as they return to the office.

The new recruits will be based at the tech company’s Malmesbury and Hullavington campuses, and will be under the supervision of the firm’s global head of catering and hospitality, Joe Croan, who was trained by Michelin-star chef Marco Pierre White.

The news comes as thousands of South West-based Dyson staff return to offices after being “invited” to do so by the firm.

In August, Sir James Dyson said the “chances of the next generation would suffer” if British workers did not return to the office.

At the time, the billionaire inventor called on the government to lead workers away from their homes and back into offices in order to restore the “competitiveness” of the nation’s businesses.

Mr Croan said with the increasing numbers on campus, Dyson needed “many more” people to join the team.

“Having good food for our people, and a strong campus culture, has always been important to James Dyson,” he said.

“An army marches on its stomach and, as such, lunch is now free for all our people. It’s gone down very well, and is great for my catering team, but it means we need to expand rapidly.”