Joanne wins rts the taste of success

MAYO woman Joanne Clarke was declared the winner of The Taste of Success on RTÉ One last night, scooping one of the biggest prizes in Irish television.

In the dramatic finale of the eight-week programme, viewers saw Joanne, a 43-year-old single mum from Westport, emerge victorious with her Nutty Brioche and Butter Pudding.

Joanne won a prize worth €100,000 and her product is now available on the shelves of more than 140 Lidl Ireland stores nationwide.

The victory marks a major turnaround in fortunes for Joanne. During the final viewers heard how she has struggled financially in recent years, with the bank repossessing her home.

“All through the competition, I had been really confident about the product, thinking it could go all the way, but you can never dare to dream. Any time someone broached the subject about the prize I would start talking about something else,” said Joanne.

“I suppose, even though I count myself as a positive thinker, I didn't want to risk dreaming about what I would do with the win and then maybe be disappointed.

“I made a conscious effort to just live in the moment, and enjoy the experience and I have to say I loved every minute of it. I really enjoyed developing the product and tweaking it along the way. I hope people like it. I am still in shock. The impact of winning this prize is going to be huge for me.”

The Taste of Success, produced by RTÉ Cork and sponsored by Lidl Ireland, travelled around the country, with mentors J.P. McMahon, Domini Kemp, Catherine Fulvio, Martin Shanahan and host Dáithí Ó Sé sampling the wares of food innovators from Donegal to Bantry and everywhere in-between. The regional champions honed their product with their mentors before facing the Lidl judges, including chef Paul Flynn, and they ultimately chose the winner.