Aldi Ireland has announced that three talented bakers have been selected as finalists for the ‘Rise with Aldi’ competition.
Following a nationwide search for Ireland’s best amateur bakers, contenders from Kerry, Tipperary and Wexford have been selected to take part in the live final at Airfield Estate, Co. Dublin, on 3 September.
The Finalists
The first of the finalists is Fionn Corcoran, from Killarney, Co. Kerry, who is a coffee shop assistant with a lifelong passion for cooking and baking.
Corcoran’s fruit soda bread stood out to the judges and earned him a place in the final.
Julia Sommer, from Templemore, Co. Tipperary, is originally from Berlin, where she inherited a passion for cooking and baking from her mother and grandfather.
Sommer had perfected her bread-baking skills earlier this year, when her 11-year-old daughter persuaded her to submit her seeded sourdough to ‘Rise with Aldi’.
Brian Reilly, from Newtown Road, Co. Wexford, is an avid home baker, and has been since he started baking apple tarts as a child, to earn extra pocket money.
Having switched his focus to bread many years ago, Reilly wowed the judges with his signature home-made brown bread.
‘Rise with Aldi’
Earlier this summer, Aldi challenged home bakers across Ireland to bake a loaf of bread of their choice for consideration.
After receiving hundreds of entries, judges selected these three star bakers for the final.
The winner of ‘Rise with Aldi’ will have his/her/their bread stocked in 161 Aldi stores nationwide from January 2025 and receive a top prize of €15,000.
Corcoran, Sommer and Reilly will participate in a live bake-off, wherein they hope to win over the judging panel and claim the top prize.
TV and radio broadcaster Síle Seoige, rugby star turned baker Jonny Murphy and Aldi’s buying director, Laurence Kelly, will judge the competition.
Speaking about this year’s ‘Rise with Aldi’ competition, Kelly said, “We are delighted with the success of the first ‘Rise with Aldi’ competition.
“Our judges had the very difficult job of whittling down hundreds of entries to just three, and they were blown away by the quality, variety and creativity on display.
“‘Rise with Aldi’ is yet another example of Aldi’s steadfast commitment to showcasing the finest Irish produce and supporting home-grown producers all year round.
“On behalf of everyone at Aldi, I would like to congratulate Fionn, Julia and Brian on making it this far and wish them the very best of luck in the live final.”
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