Calling all Westmeath brown bread bakers

Euronics along with the National Ploughing Association (NPA) and the Irish Countrywomen’s Association (ICA) are encouraging bakers from Westmeath to enter this year’s National Brown Bread Baking Competition, the finals of which will takes place at this year's National Ploughing Championships in September.

The winning brown bread baker will walk away with a cash prize of €5000 and a NEFF oven, with the three finalists all walking away with a €500 Euronics gift card.

Brown bread is a quintessentially Irish product found in most of the homes around the country. Everyone has their own recipe and their secret ingredient but, so if you an avid brown bread maker in Westmeath, whip up your own version of this classic staple and drop it off at:

Heavins, A1& A2 Shannon Retail Park, Dublin Road, Athlone, Co. Westmeath, N37 E763 on Friday, July 19 next from 9am to 11am. Bread will not be accepted outside of these times.

All successful entrants will be contacted on August 12 to attend the finals. Two semi-finals will take place on September 17 and 18 with the final on the afternoon of the September 19at the National Ploughing Championships in Ratheniska, Co Laois.

Euronics Ireland is sponsoring the iconic competition, and their sponsorship was welcomed by NPA Managing Director Anna May McHugh, who said the the first National Brown Bread Baking competition took place at ‘Ploughing’ in 1954. "It's wonderful to see that the competition is still as popular now as it was then" she added.

Mary D’Arcy, incoming ICA National President spoke at the launch of this year's competition and said ICA members "always enjoy taking part" in the National Brown Bread Baking competition. "I'm sure this year will be no different!”

If you think you have the recipe for success, log onto https://www.neff-home.com/ie/brown-bread-comp or www.ica.ie for information on how to enter, full terms, conditions and competition rules.