Alanagh is into junior baking finals

REGIONAL baking finals are taking place throughout Ireland this July as teens battle it out to become the Aldi Foróige junior baking champion, in a competition held by Aldi and youth organisation Foróige.

Alanagh Prendergast, aged 15, from Gaelforce Foróige Club in Mayo, took one of the three top places in Saturday’s competition in Sligo, which puts her through to compete in the national finals.

The finals will take place at the National Ploughing Championships in Screggan, Tullamore, on Septemer 18 to 20. At the finals, participants will be further put to the test by baking in front of a live audience in the Aldi marquee.

The 32 regional finalists have been brought together for finals in Dublin, Cork, Sligo and Athlone, having already won their club, as well as their county, finals earlier in the year.

The theme of the competition for 2018 is lemon drizzle cake.

The winner’s cake will be go on sale nationwide in Aldi stores next year with the winner receiving €3,000 in prize money.

Said Sean Campbell, CEO of Foróige: “This competition encourages young people to think about good produce, it helps them hone their baking craft and it exposes them to a whole new world of manufacturing. I can’t think of a better opportunity for a junior baker than bringing a product to market with our supermarket partner Aldi.

“I want to thank Aldi for their continued support of Foróige’s work and their belief in the brilliance of our young bakers.”

Aldi group buying director, Finbar McCarthy, said: “At Aldi, we are a proud supporter of Irish suppliers so we are delighted to sponsor the Aldi Foróige junior baking competition for the fourth year in a row. The creations that came from the young people last year were excellent, and we expect no different from this year’s entrants.”