The National Brown Bread Baking Competition, to find Ireland’s best brown bread baker, has been launched. 

In association with the National Ploughing Association (NPA) and the Irish Countrywomen’s Association (ICA) and sponsored by Aldi, the competition was last held over 40 years ago in 1973 at the World Ploughing Championships in Wexford but, with the resurgence of home baking in recent years, the NPA and ICA felt it was the perfect time to re-launch the contest.

Baking enthusiasts have the opportunity to earn some ‘dough’ with a cash prize of €2,000 for the overall ‘breadwinner’, €1,000 for second place, €500 for third, €300 for fourth and the other semi-finalists will all get €200 each.  To be a cut above the rest, the brown bread must be even and have an even cross, the bottom of the bread should not be burnt or soggy and when sliced it should be clear from air bubbles and white spots.

Group Buying Director, Rob Farrell said, “At Aldi, we are a proud supporter of Irish suppliers so we are delighted to sponsor the return of this competition which celebrates something as quintessentially Irish as brown bread. We are encouraging baking enthusiasts, from novice to expert home bakers, to whip out the wooden spoon and hone their baking skills. The art of baking has been on the rise in recent years and we sell a range of great value baking essentials in our 107 stores nationwide so consumers can stock their pantries and make home baked goods all year round.”

The qualifiers will be held nationally through the ICA, with the semi-finals taking place at An Grianán, ICA Adult Education Centre on Thursday 14th August. The national finals will be held from Tuesday 23 to Thursday, September 25 at the Aldi Marquee during the 2014 National Ploughing Championships Ratheniska, Co. Laois.

If you think you have the recipe for success, log onto www.aldi.ie, www.npa.ie or www.ica.ie for information on how to enter and further details about the county finals.