Using their Loaf - Pupils from St Brigid's Drumilly help their school get some 'dough'

St Brigid's Primary School, Drumilly has been named as one of six primary schools from across the north who have won this year's Brennans Dough It Yourself: The Great Bread Challenge, a competition focused on food sustainability for Key Stage 2 pupils. St Brigid's achieved their win with their Magic Berrylicious Toast.

Speaking after the win Mrs Una Markey of St Brigid's Primary School in Drumilly 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."

More than 100 schools submitted entries to the competition, organised by bread brand Brennans, with participants tasked with turning leftover bread into new dishes and designing recipes to reduce food waste. Six schools were selected as winners, each receiving £1,000, a trophy, a framed certificate and merchandise, presented during a day out at W5 in Belfast.

The other winning schools were Clea Primary School in Keady, Co Armagh, with their entry 5 Star Stuffing; Euston Street Primary School in East Belfast with Cinnamon Bread Rolls; Seaview Primary School in North Belfast with Caramel Strawberry Bread Pudding; Gaelscoil na Daróige in Derry with Gasta Blasta; and Our Lady of Lourdes Primary School, Park Lodge, Belfast with Park Lodge Grilled Cheese.

Colin Todd, National Sales Manager for Brennans Bakeries, said: "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. 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."

Mrs Catherine Gallagher of Clea Primary School in Keady added: "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 such wonderful ideas on how to help with environmental change."

The competition was created to educate children about food waste and encourage sustainable food choices. Participating schools were provided with curriculum-linked lesson plans, presentations and activities to support their involvement.

Further information is available at www.brennansbread.ie or through the brand's Facebook, Instagram and TikTok channels.