The Lismore Food Company brings together three artisans who share a love of fine ingredients and a lifetime of experience in food.
Beth-Ann Smith’s family history in food stretches back to Smith’s Stores, a fine food delicatessen and bakery on Cork’s Patrick Street. Having trained at Ballymaloe Cookery School she was head chef at Lismore Castle and private chef to the Duke and Duchess of Devonshire there for over ten years.

Brothers Owen and Ken Madden’s family opened a bakery and public house on Lismore’s Main Street in the early 1800’s. Now called ‘The Summerhouse Café’ the building remains in the family to this day. After training at Ballymaloe Cookery School Owen continued his career in restaurants in France and the UK before returning to launch a gastropub and café in Lismore. While Ken’s training in cookery can best be described as ‘circling the kitchen table’ he previously ran the family’s grocery and public house in Lismore and is passionate about bakery and confectionery.

In October 2014 the ‘three biscuiteers’ combined their cookery and baking expertise to launch a range of fine sweet biscuits – inspired by amazing Irish butter from grass fed cows and beautifully packaged in ‘hot’ orange and gold tubes. A year later they launched two outstanding savoury biscuits as an homage to the wild shoreline of Ireland’s Atlantic west coast – with their Caraway with Irish Seaweed flavour winning a coveted three stars at the Great Taste Awards.