This annual contest is dedicated
to the preservation of the Traditional way of baking Soda Bread as it was done in Ireland in
the 1800s, and is sponsored by The Irish Heritage Club and T S McHUGH'S, 1st
and Mercer, Seattle.
Drop-off entries at T S McHugh's (in an unmarked bag) between Noon and 1:30 PM. Judging starts at 2 PM and the Winners will be announced at approximately 3 PM. Prizes will be awarded in each of the three categories. There is no entry fee. Only one entry per person is permitted in each category. While waiting for results, enjoy some Irish music and Irish Dancing with the Baile Glas Irish Dancers and Tom Quinn on Uilleann Pipes!
All entrants are asked to please print and complete a Contest Entry Form. The Entry Form
specifies the category definitions, or see here
for a more detailed explanation of the Ingredients that are Permitted.
Come to our Soda Bread Cooking Class on Saturday, February 18, at $10 per person - click for all the details.
FOR SAMPLE RECIPES OR MORE INFORMATION, CALL
Fionna Shriane-Travis at 425-741-2527 or email SodaBread@irishclub.org.
The 2009 Contest Winners:
BROWN BREAD
1st - Rita Brennan, Issaquah
2nd - Eavanne O'Donoghue, Redmond 3rd - Paula Johnson, Seattle
WHITE BREAD
1st - Eileen Gray, Burien
2nd - Nanci Spieker, Lynnwood
3rd - Paula Johnson, Seattle
GLORIFIED BREAD
1st - Peggy Burns, Seattle
2nd - Stephenie Joyce, Seattle
3rd - Mary McNulty, White Rock, BC
Congratulations to all the entrants and especially to the winners who received prizes of Irish Crystal, Irish Linen and Irish cookbooks. Special thanks to Suzanne Green, Patty Sandoval, their helpers and especially the judges for another great event to kick off Irish Week 2009 in Seattle!
What is TRADITIONAL Irish
Soda Bread?
If you search the internet using the term "Traditional Irish
Soda Bread", an amazing number of recipes will appear, but
98% of them provide incorrect information. Some suggest
you can use honey, sugar, eggs, raisins, or even caraway
seeds in Traditional Irish Soda Breads. There's nothing
wrong with using those ingredients in Soda Breads, but
they're NOT Traditional Irish Soda Breads!
Would "French Bread" still be the same if whiskey,
raisins, or other ingredients were added to the mix?
Of course not! The same is true of Irish Soda Bread.
Click here for more information on Traditional Irish Soda Bread.
Click here
for simple SODA BREAD RECIPES.
The
Judges Back L-R - Ita Bray,
Suzanne Green, Mauread Bray, Maureen Keane, Mick McHugh
and Don Tremblay. Front L-R - Margaret Byrne and Carol
Dooley.
Carol Dooley is Station Manager at KISM-Radio in Bellingham;
Maureen Keane is a well-known nutritionist and author
of 14 books; Mick
McHugh is the proprietor of F X McRory's and son of
Thomas Shannon McHugh
after whom the restaurant is named; Don Tremblay
is the Head-Chef at TS
McHugh’s who trained at the Ballymaloe Cooking
School in Shanagarry, Ireland;
Margaret Byrne is a Seattleite whose Irish mother
taught her how to bake
Soda Bread; and Ita and Mauread Bray both learned
how to make Irish
Soda Bread in Co. Donegal. Event Chair was Suzanne
Green who came up
with the wonderful prizes of Waterford Crystal, Belleek
China, and Mariner
Baseball tickets (even including free parking!). Thanks
to all for a wonderful event!
The
Entertainment
Tom Quinn was there performing on the Uilleann Pipes
while dancers from the
Baile Glas Irish Dancing School also performed.
Thank
You! Thank You!
2005 CHAMPIONS
Brown Irish Soda Bread
1st: Waterford Irish Crystal to Mary Shriane
2nd: Belleek China to Scott Bray
3rd: Gift Certificate to Betty Jo Kane White Irish Soda Bread
1st: Waterford Irish Crystal to Scott Bray
2nd: Belleek China to Fionna Shriane Travis
3rd: Gift Certificate to Jodi Hamrick Glorified Irish Soda Bread
1st: Waterford Irish Crystal to Suzanne Eviston
2nd: Belleek China to Sophia Basa
3rd: Gift Certificate to Jodi Hamrick
2005 JUDGES
Kate Kiely, a writer with Seattle Magazine
(www.seattlemag.com),
who has spent
several summers in Galway and is very
familiar with good Irish Soda Bread.
Carol Dooley, a DJ with KISM-Radio, the 92.9
Classic Rock station in Bellingham (www.kism.com).
Carol was born in Co, Kilkenny, Ireland.
Maureen Keane, the well-known nutritionist
and author of 13 books, who also writes a Nutrition
column for the Celtic Connection newspaper.
Alana Malone, a Theatre Director who was born
in Alaska but is an Irish citizen and still has plenty
of relatives in Ireland whom she has visited many
times.
Mick McHugh, proprietor of F X McRory's and the
McHugh Restaurant empire that opened TS McHugh’s
in 1989. The restaurant was named after his late
father, Thomas Shannon McHugh.
Don Tremblay, the Head-Chef at TS McHugh’s who
trained at the Ballymaloe Cooking School in Shanagarry,
Ireland, where he learned how to make some of the
finest potpies and Irish Soda Breads.
SODA BREAD PICTURES
from Previous Years.
The breads being examined by Judges Eileen Sullivan
and Donn Trembley.
The 2001 Judges:
Mairead Doherty, Deirdre Cambell, Eileen Sullivan,
Betty Walsh, Noreen McCormack and Expert Culinary
Chef
Don Trembley.
Thank You:
Prizes and facility provided by: TS McHugh's.
Piper: Tom Quinn from the Irish Piper's Club
Dancers: Brena and Montana from the Baile Glas Irish
dancing school.
Event Chair: Suzanne Green
