Cork teenager among finalists of a national brown bread baking competition
Lucy Tate (15) from Youghal, Co Cork, has been announced as one of the eight finalists for the National Junior Brown Bread Baking Competition
A Cork teenager has been announced as a finalist in the National Junior Brown Bread Baking Competition taking place at the National Ploughing Championships this year.
Fifteen-year-old Lucy Tate from Youghal is one of eight finalists who will battle it out in the final stage of the National Junior Brown Bread Baking Competition.
The semi-finals of the competition will take place at the National Ploughing Championships in Screggan, Co Offaly on September 15 to 16 and the final will take place on the morning of September 17.
Speaking about her achievement, Tate said she was “thrilled” to have been selected to bake in the semi-finals of the National Junior Brown Bread Baking Competition in September.
Over the past month, judges have had the task of sampling dozens of loaves from young bakers across Ireland, narrowing the entries down to just eight talented finalists.
From traditional family recipes to their own individual twists, the young bakers have showcased impressive baking skills, creativity and a love of brown bread.
The eight finalists represent six counties, with each young baker bringing their own story, baking style and family traditions to the competition.
They will now prepare to take to the stage at the National Ploughing Championships, where they will compete for the title of National Junior Brown Bread Baking Champion.
Also among the finalists are 12-year-old Callum McKeague from Donegal, who said he cannot believe he qualified for the next stage of the competition and acknowledged that having time off school for the competition is an added bonus, and Cara Wall from Dublin, who said it is an honour to be sharing her 96-year-old granny Moya’s recipe in the competition.
The three bakers who make the finals on September 17 will win a €250 Euronics voucher and all other finalists will be given a €100 Euronics voucher and a NEFF hamper. The winning junior baker will receive a €1,500 Euronics voucher, with an additional €1,500 Euronics voucher for their school.
The National Junior Brown Bread Baking Competition will run in conjunction with the National Brown Bread Baking Competition, with the eight finalists moving forward in the competition also announced this week.
The competition has seen more than 130 loaves submitted by bakers across Ireland. The successful finalists, representing five counties, will swap their home kitchens for the National Ploughing Championships in September.
Four bakers will make it to the final to battle it out in the grand finale, which will take place on the afternoon of September 17, following the national junior final.
The three finalists will each receive a €500 Euronics gift card, and the overall winner will receive €5,000 in cash and a NEFF Slide & Hide Oven worth more than €2,000, the same model famously used on
Olivia Nash from Dublin, who has made the final stage of the competition, shared her delight at being selected as a finalist, saying her husband encouraged her to enter with her recipe because it’s his favourite.
“It feels really special to be taking it to the Ploughing Championships,” she said.
Those attending the National Ploughing Championships will have the opportunity to witness the finalists bake their loaves under pressure, as they put their recipes, techniques and years of baking experience to the test.
