Tasked with turning leftover bread into delicious dishes and designing unique recipes to make the most of every slice, more than 100 schools submitted entries to the competition, organised by leading bread brand Brennans, with six selected as the cream of the crop.
The winning schools were Clea Primary School in Keady, Co Armagh (5 Star Stuffing), Euston Street Primary School in East Belfast (Cinnamon Bread Rolls), Seaview Primary School in North Belfast (Caramel Strawberry Bread Pudding), St Brigid’s Primary School in Drumilly, Co Down (Magic Berrylicious Toast), Gaelscoil na Daróige in Derry (Gasta Blasta), and Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School, Park Lodge, Belfast (Park Lodge Grilled Cheese).
Each winning school enjoyed a fun-filled day out at W5 in Belfast, where they also received a cheque for £1,000, a trophy, a framed certificate and merchandise – presented to them by Colin Todd, National Sales Manager for Brennans Bakeries.
"We’re delighted to be here at W5 today to recognise six schools who have proven themselves to be a crust above the rest with their recipes to help reduce food waste and increase food sustainability,” said Colin Todd, who lives in Lisburn.
"We’d like to congratulate our winners and also thank all of the schools across NI that took part in this year’s Great Bread Challenge. We hope this is just the beginning of their baking, cooking and food sustainability adventures,” he added.
Brennans Dough It Yourself – The Great Bread Challenge was created by Brennans Bread to educate children about food waste and to encourage creativity and sustainable food choices in a fun and engaging way.
To support participating schools, teachers were provided with curriculum-linked lesson plans and PowerPoint presentations, with lots of fun activities and homework ideas, all designed to raise awareness about food waste.
1. Gaelscoil Na Daróige
Gaelscoil Na Daróige in Derry / Londonderry has been revealed as a winner in this year’s Brennans Dough It Yourself – The Great Bread Challenge. Pictured receiving their prize from Colin Todd and Lia Guerin of Brennans Bakeries are Caitlín Holmes (centre) with pupils (l-r) Isibéal, Tara, Danile and Anna. Caitlín said: "The 'Gasta Blasta' dish has been such a highlight for our pupils. The whole experience, from designing the recipe to celebrating everyone's input, was an enjoyable experience for everyone involved and the children had a lot of fun. Our day out at W5 was an unforgettable experience. The children were busy, engaged and truly enjoyed themselves from start to finish.” Photo: contributed
2. Euston Street Primary School
Euston Street Primary School in East Belfast has been revealed as a winner in this year’s Brennans Dough It Yourself – The Great Bread Challenge. The pupils and teacher Miss Olivia Curlett (centre) are pictured receiving their prize from Colin Todd and Lia Guerin of Brennans Bakeries. Miss Curlett said: “Brennan’s Dough It Yourself’ was a fantastic opportunity for our Euston Street Primary pupils. Pupils had the opportunity to express their creativity, work as part of a team and had such a sense of pride from the recipe they created and being selected as one of the six winning schools. This experience inspired conversations amongst our pupils of food waste and reduction, and our role in protecting our planet. Thank you to the staff and organisers for making this a memorable and rewarding experience for our pupils.” Photo: contributed
3. Our Lady Of Lourdes Park Lodge Primary School
Our Lady Of Lourdes Park Lodge Primary School in North Belfast has been revealed as a winner in this year’s Brennans Dough It Yourself – The Great Bread Challenge. Pictured receiving their prize from Colin Todd and Lia Guerin of Brennans Bakeries are Miss Victoria Jennings (centre) with pupils (l-r) Connie, Shéa and Ronán. Miss Jennings said: “Participating in the Brennans Bread Dough It Yourself Challenge was a highly rewarding experience for our pupils. Through cross-curricular learning, they explored creative and nutritious ways to reduce food waste, save money and worked together to create and prepare a healthy 'Chewmendous Cheesy Pull Toastie'. With valuable support from General Merchants Café, who shared industry insights and health and safety guidance, pupils gained confidence and new skills to cook their recipe. The experience was thoroughly enjoyed by all and was rounded off with a class celebratory trip to W5. Thank you for a fabulous day out and we are extremely grateful for the prize money.” Photo: contributed
4. St Brigid's Primary School
St Brigid's Primary School in Drumilly, Co Down, has been revealed as a winner in this year’s Brennans Dough It Yourself – The Great Bread Challenge. Pictured receiving their prize from Colin Todd and Lia Guerin of Brennans Bakeries are Mrs Una Markey (centre) with pupils (l-r) Ella, Arthur, Cathal and Lara. Mrs Markey said: “The Dough It Yourself challenge was a wonderful way to get our pupils to think creatively about ways to reduce waste and turn leftover bread into delicious recipes! Our P6 class couldn’t wait to get involved creating a tasty dish and our recipe ‘Magic Berrylicious Toast’ has been a big hit throughout our school community. A fantastic initiative and I’m really proud of all our pupils. St Brigid’s are going to spend their winnings on cooking equipment which will be used throughout the school.” Photo: contributed