Health secretary Andrew Lansley and Celebrity MasterChef winner Lisa Faulkner enjoy a bite to eat at the 'ambu-lunch'. Pic by Arfa

Celebrity MasterChef winner Lisa Faulkner has helped launch a new healthy eating campaign being taken around the country in an ‘ambu-lunch’.

Chefs are being urged to cut calories from meals they cook in a bid to tackle Britain’s obesity problem and help meet the national target of reducing five billion calories a day from the country’s diet

The ‘ambu-lunch’, a converted ambulance complete with working restaurant, will visit chefs to drive awareness and provide tips on how to reduce calories.

Health secretary Andrew Lansley was served a light lunch when the vehicle parked up outside the Houses of Parliament.

Lisa Faulkner said: “Since winning Celebrity MasterChef in 2010 I’ve worked in a variety of professional kitchens – and it’s been an eye-opening experience. I’ve realised just how much influence chefs have over our diets.

“It’s programmes like MasterChef that have raised the importance and profile of chefs in the UK. Whether it’s grabbing a quick bite to eat at lunchtime or treating your family to a meal out, chefs can have a huge influence by adding a healthier twist to our favourite dishes.”

With a quarter of UK adults already classified as obese, chefs could help to improve the health of the nation by reducing just 24 calories per meal.

New research from Unilever Food Solutions, which is behind the campaign, shows more than half of consumers want healthier options when eating out, but just as many admit that healthier options sound less appealing and think they’ll go home hungry.

Tracey Rogers, managing director of Unilever Food Solutions, said: “As a nation we’re eating out more regularly, so the hospitality industry has a responsibility to provide tasty meals.

“We know that eating out occasions can often be about treating yourself and we don’t want to change this.

“We simply want to work with chefs to help them create healthier versions of popular dishes, which can nudge consumers into eating more healthily.”