Mayo's Dee Freney and Margaret Leahy from Galway have reached the final of RTÉ Today’s TV Home Cook competition - a nationwide search to find Ireland's next standout home cook.
Selected and mentored by Trisha Lewis, eight contestants from across the country have spent the last number of weeks taking on a series of cooking challenges, working in a professional TV kitchen for the very first time.
The contestants were whittled down to four semi-finalists, who were put to the test in a live semi-final cook-off.
Now, two finalists - Dee Freney and Margaret Leahy - have progressed to the live grand final on Monday, 25 May, meaning that the two have a just a few days to prepare their final dish to tempt the public to vote them the winner.
Remember, there are no judges — the competition is decided entirely by the public. Voting will open that afternoon, and the winner will be announced on Tuesday's show with mentor and chef Trisha Lewis.
Meet the finalists:
Dee Freney
Dee is an adult educator from Mayo who specialises in creative gluten-free home cooking.
Kind, caring and fun, she cooks to make sure everyone at her table feels included. Her food is comforting, thoughtful and full of flavour. Her gluten-free Sunday roast and baking are family favourites.
First Cook: Chocolate Brownies with Raspberry Coulis
Style: Gluten-free, comforting, inclusive.
Semi-Final Dish: Gluten Free Hot Honey Salmon with Garlic Tender stem
Margaret Leahy
Margaret is a Connemara-based tour operator and passionate farm-to-table cook.
She uses seasonal Irish produce from her garden and local suppliers, focusing on simple dishes that let ingredients shine.
Her cooking celebrates Irish food, seasonality and tradition.
First Cook: Dillisk Scones with Wild Garlic Pesto
Style: Seasonal, Irish, farm-to-table
Semi-Final Dish: Fish Pie with Nettle Champ with a salad of local leaves
Watch the final of Today’s TV Home Cook competition on the Today Show Monday 25 May from 3.30pm on RTÉ One and RTÉ Player.
