RTÉ’s The Taste of Success, is back and this year the show is going global with ‘The Food Flight’.

The search is on for the next batch of innovative food entrepreneurs to bag a prize worth a cool €100,000 and the chance to see their product in more than 140 Lidl Ireland stores nationwide.

This year RTÉ and The Taste of Success sponsors Lidl Ireland are casting the net as wide as possible by launching a new way to enter the competition with ‘The Food Flight’.

In a nutshell, if you know of anyone Irish and a born chef – for whatever reason, is living abroad – get them to apply for the show. We will fly one lucky person home from anywhere in the world to compete in the competition. So, you get a loved one home for a visit and they might win €100,000 – you can’t say fairer than that!

The Taste of Success presenter Dáithí Ó Sé said: “I’m thrilled The Taste of Success is returning for a third series. I don’t think the standard of food we got last year can be bettered, but I look forward to spending the summer finding out! We’ve got some new ideas this year that will make the show extra special. I’m looking forward to meeting the person who gets to fly home from anywhere in the world to compete. It would be amazing if they went on to win it too!”

Everyone can enter

The Taste of Success is a life-changing opportunity for food entrepreneurs. Competing on a regional basis, the food entrepreneurs progress through the competition by honing their product with their regional celebrity mentor with the Lidl Ireland judges having the final say on what will make it onto supermarket shelves nationwide.

This year’s The Taste of Success is set to be bigger and better than ever.

“Giving one lucky family the chance to re-unite AND potentially win €100,000 Euro is very special”

Head of RTÉ Cork, Colm Crowley said: “We are delighted to be in a position to continue working with our friends in Lidl Ireland on the Taste of Success. The new show will be bigger and better than ever. I’m especially excited by our new ‘Food Flight’ addition to the format. Giving one lucky family the chance to re-unite AND potentially win €100,000 Euro is very special”

This competition is open to anyone who has a wonderful food product. It might be your granny’s delicious bread recipe; a tasty new jam; or a sauce combination you’ve concocted or your special occasion desert. You might have dreamed up an innovative new health food product or it could even be your own home brew!

Do you have a new amazing recipe? Are you an amateur chef with a twist on a classic? Are you a professional chef with a signature dish? Are you a baker with the best buns? Is your idea worth €100,000? If so, and you fancy seeing YOUR product on supermarket shelves nationwide – we want to hear from you!

Last year’s winning mentor, Michelin-starred chef JP McMahon said: “I really enjoyed my first stint on The Taste of Success so much last year. It might be largely due to the fact that I mentored the winning dish! Working with Joanne Clarke and seeing the difference winning the show has made to her life is remarkable. The other regions will be gunning for me now, as I’m the reigning champion, so I urge everyone with a passion for food in the Connaught or Ulster region to apply, because this year, I want to do the double!”

Have a look around your local Lidl and find out if you’ve got what it takes to discover what they’re looking for. The most important thing is that entrants must submit their own unique product.

The winner will walk away with a guaranteed contract with Lidl Ireland which will see their product on shelves in over 140 supermarkets nationwide.

And this year, you can win even if you aren’t entering the competition yourself!

If you know someone who is hiding their pilot light under a bushel, encourage them to take the plunge. If they apply, mention you in their application AND make the roadshow – you win a €250 voucher to spend in Lidl.

You can download an application form here – RTE.ie/thetasteofsuccess