Though Aldi is more famous for low prices than luxurious foods, sources told the Sunday Tribune the company is compiling a shortlist of chefs.

An Aldi Ireland spokesperson, asked if the company was looking to recruit a chef, replied: "Are you recommending someone?" Later, however, the spokesperson said Aldi had "absolutely no comment to make".

SuperValu recently hired Clodagh McKenna, "queen of the slow food movement", to be the face of a new initiative, while Dunnes recently hired Neven Maguire as its resident celebrity chef.

As yet, Aldi has not made any formal approaches but the Sunday Tribune understands it is looking for a candidate who can sell the idea that cheap food does not mean bad quality.

Among the chefs said to be on Aldi's list are Johnny Cooke, who set up Cookes Cafe in Dublin and now has his own line of breads, and Ross Lewis of Dublin's Chapter One restaurant, who previously did knife sets for Superquinn.

An "Irish Jamie Oliver" would be the ideal candidate, according to Rosie Hand, course director in advertising at Dublin Institute of Technology.

"The challenge when using celebrity endorsements is creating a match with the target audience. Someone who is accessible and is perceived as a man of the people is what I would imagine they are looking for. Aldi is a discount store and is frequented by ordinary people.It's all about finding a strategic match with consumers, " she said.