A 15-year-old girl from Gorey, Co. Wexford has won this year’s National Junior Baking Competition, something which has put her on the map for success.

Ava Pierce won a €1,000 bursary fund after impressing judges at the fourth National Junior Baking Competition, which is sponsored by Aldi in association with Foróige and the National Ploughing Association.

The theme of this year’s competition was Lemon Drizzle Cake and Ava’s Lemon Drizzle Cake will also be stocked in all 135 Aldi stores nationwide. Ava is a member of Askamore Foróige Club and is in transition year in Gorey Community School.

NPA Managing Director Anna May McHugh said: “The popularity and success of the National Junior Baking competition is growing each year, and we’re delighted to once again have Aldi and Foróige working on this. It is wonderful to see the younger generation taking part and we look forward to seeing the winner’s Lemon Drizzle Cake on sale in Aldi stores in 2019.”

The National Junior Baking Competition offers young people an opportunity to showcase their baking skills and win great prizes. County and regional finals were held nationally through Foróige, and the final was held in Cook’s Academy in Dublin.

Sean Campbell, CEO of Foróige said: “This competition encourages young people to think about good produce, it helps them hone their baking craft and it exposes them to a whole new world of manufacturing. I can’t think of a better opportunity for a junior baker than bringing a product to market with our supermarket partner Aldi. We want to thank Aldi for their continued support of Foróige’s work and their belief in the brilliance of our young bakers.”

Aldi Group Buying Director John Curtin, added: “We are delighted to sponsor the Aldi Foróige National Junior Baking Competition for the fourth year in a row. The creations that came from the young people last year were excellent and this years’ finalists raised the bar even further.”