Search on for Ireland’s best homemade brown bread

Bread-baking enthusiasts, assemble! The search is on for the best home-baked brown bread in Ireland.

Details of this year's National Brown Bread Baking Competition have just been announced with supermarket chain Aldi partnering up with the National Ploughing Association (NPA) and Irish Countrywomen's Association (ICA) to sponsor the competition once again.

The competition is open to any baker over the age of 16, as well as members of the ICA. The winning loaf will be stocked in Aldi Stores across the country for a period of twelve months and the baker will receive a share of the profits, guaranteed to be at least €15,000.

Those wishing to take part can enter in one of two ways. ICA members can enter through their local guild while other bakers can enter through the Aldi heats by dropping their bread off to one of four designated locations on the following dates: Aldi Ireland Head Office, Newbridge Road, Naas, Co Kildare (June 12th); Aldi Regional Office, Limerick Road, Mitchelstown, Co Cork (June 12th); Aldi, Oranmore, Co Galway (June 19th); and Aldi, Wexford Retail Park, Clonard Little, Wexford (June 19th).

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Four finalists selected from the Aldi heats and four selected through the ICA will then compete at the national finals at the National Ploughing Championships, where a winner will be crowned. Runners-up will receive vouchers for Aldi.

Last year's competition was won by Emma Ferguson from Rathmoylon, Co Meath. The mother-of-three's winning loaf included brown and white flours, chia, flax and poppy seeds, wheatgerm, porridge oats and pinhead oatmeal.

Aldi group buying director John Curtin, said: “Emma’s brown bread has proven a hit with our customers, and we hope the winner this year will achieve the same success with their brown bread.”

For more information on how to enter, visit aldi.ie or ica.ie