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.
5. Clea Primary School
Clea Primary School in Keady, Co Armagh, 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 Catherine Gallagher (centre) with pupils (l-r) Cohen, Phoenix, Alara and Lily-Rose. Mrs Gallagher said: “The children in Clea PS had such a valuable learning experience from the Dough it Yourself Competition. Aside from the informative element about the level of food waste, it was how it ultimately impacts us in our lives that captured the children’s attention and, in turn, how they themselves could reduce this waste. It’s amazing how children as young as 9-10 years old can actively contribute suchwonderful ideas on how to help with environmental change. The programme was very inclusive and with the group work element of the project, all children were able to participate. Many thanks to the team from Brennan’s Dough it Yourself for providing our children with such a marvellous experience. The trip to W5 was the icing on the cake. Our prize money is very much appreciated and will be put to good use. Looking forward to next year’s challenge already.” Photo: contributed
6. Seaview Primary School
Seaview 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 Chloe Davidson (centre) with pupils (l-r) Senanya, Maisie, Ariana and Hannah. Miss Davidson said: “Taking part in the Brennans Bread Dough it Yourself competition has been a wonderful experience for our P5 pupils. The children were so engaged from the start and really enjoyed learning about food waste, which sparked meaningful discussions in class. Creating their recipe together was a fantastic process and it was so special to see their creativity recognised. I was incredibly proud to see them represent our school with such confidence, teamwork and enthusiasm.” Photo: contributed