Tracey Ford from Caterlink at Gillingham Comprehensive School in Dorset and Leanne Rees-Sheppard of Catering Services Bridgend County Council at Tremains Primary School are the ninth and tenth chefs confirmed March's final.
Ford beat off the competition from nine other school chefs in the south west with her ‘healthy Italian’ main of Gnocchi in rustic tomato sauce with roasted vegetables served with cauliflower, garlic and parmesan sticks.
Sticking to an Italian theme, dessert was panna cotta on a shredded wheat base with a zesty beetroot sauce, a dish she named ‘Italy's Best Kept Secret’.
Rees-Sheppard got through with her main course of lamb and mint meatballs, with creamy mashed potato, steamed broccoli and carrots.
Her winning dessert was warm coconut rice pudding topped with fruit compote, served with Welsh cakes.
Ford and Rees-Sheppard join Michelle Creed (London), Ouafa Bahloul (South East) Tanya Malone (West Midlands), Amanda Phillips (Yorks & Humberside), Abdul Mahdoul (North East & Scotland), Michael Goulston (East of England) and Donna Spiers (East Midlands) in the final.
The LACA School Chef of the Year 2018 final sponsored by Maggi from Nestlé, takes place on Thursday 8th March 2018 at Stratford Upon Avon College.