Limerick sisters bake up a storm at World Bread Awards
BALLYHAHILL sisters Maura and Siobhan Kearney who founded the Kearney's Home Baking company almost 30 years, have now joined an illustrious band: that of Bread Heroes.
They were runners up in Ireland in the recent Tiptree World Bread Awards with Brook Food, just pipped for the top award by Joe Fitzmaurice of Cloughjordan.
The Kearney bread that won the runner-up accolade was their traditional bread and the judges praised the Kearney women for their continued championing of traditional Irish home-baking.
Among the Kearney specialities are soda bread, scones, tarts and tea bracks, all developed from recipes handed down the generations.
Hundreds of nominations were entered for the awards from the UK and Ireland, celebrating the work and enterprise of the people behind the loaves: from farmers and millers, to bakers and educators. A number of specialist awards were also included in this year’s competition.
One of the judges put it: ‘It has been another strange year and it is so lovely to read the stories of the bread heroes who have carried on, diversified, given back and risen to the challenge (pun intended!). They are all an absolute credit to their communities.”