TV chef James Martin of Ready, Steady, Cook fame is to judge the Nestlé Foodservices School Chef of the Year 2005.
The competition, launched a decade ago by the Local Authority Caterers Association, has a record 47 school caterers registered this year, and more than 170 contestants.
Just eight school chefs will compete in the final on 26 April, when they will be asked to prepare a healthy, balanced main course and dessert suitable for 11-year-olds in an hour-and-a-half for 80p.