Putting Leitrim on the Irish cheese map

Lisa Gifford, Gypsy Gifford and Richelle South have just announced the completion of the new Leitrim Hill Creamery at Leitrim Hill, Drumcong.
Lisa Gifford, the matriarch of the operations, moved to Leitrim in 2016 fulfilling a lifelong dream to come back to the home county of her grandparents.

Grandmother Margaret Curry was born in Manorhamilton and moved to New York in 1863 at age 19. Grandfather Shields was a blacksmith who learned the trade/art under his father who was given work by the Hamilton family. Her grandfather secured a job as blacksmith for the New Your Fire Department and met Margaret in New York. Relocating to Ireland at age 75, Lisa felt a connection to the land and the people of Leitrim and feels at home here in Drumcong.

When Lisa arrived in Ireland she acquired some goats and began making cheese for herself and her neighbours. She felt it was a great way to connect with her community and keep herself busy.

Her daughter, previously Corporate Chef of Disney Studios and Assistant Professor at The Culinary Institute of America, has always had a passion for working with farmers and using artisan products to create real food that nourishes the soul.
Loving the cheese, she and her wife, Richelle, decided to join Lisa in 2021 at Leitrim Hill and build out a cheesemaking facility in an old hay barn. Richelle’s background is business development both in food and tech, allowing her to be the third pillar on which Leitrim Hill Creamery can stand.

Leitrim Hill Creamery currently produces a raw milk soft goat cheese with plans to expand the types of cheeses made.
The main pillars of which Leitrim Hill Creamery are based on sustainability (environmentally and professionally), farming with nature, product integrity and support of the community. T

hey plan to bring jobs and more food tourism to Leitrim through farm tours, cheese making classes and promotion of local products. None of this could be possible without the phenomenal support of the Leitrim Enterprise Office and the Capital Priming grant awarded to the business.
Leitrim Hill Creamery cheese can be found at the following Farmer’s Markets;
- The Farmer’s Market at Market Yard in Carrick-on-Shannon on Thursdays from 10-2;
- The Manorhamilton Farmer’s Market at Bee Park Resource Centre on Fridays from 10-2;
- The Courtyard Market at King’s House in Boyle on Saturdays from 10-2;
- The Farmer’s Market at Atlantic Technological University Sligo (formerly IT Sligo) on Saturdays from 9-1.

You can also find their cheese served at The Red Bank Restaurant in Carrick-on-Shannon, Osta Café in Sligo, The Lakeside Tavern in Drumcong, the Selkie Restaurant in Tullaghan, and Jinny’s Tea Room in Drumshanbo.

And of course, you can always come by Leitrim Hill Creamery to see the goats, taste the cheese, look out at the view of Lough Scur and Sleive Anierin, and pick up a bit of cheese to take home to enjoy.
They are open Monday-Saturday from 10am to 6pm.

ABOUT LISA GIFFORD:
Lisa has served as nurse, politician, professor, and poet while raising four children through college in California. Leitrim Hill Creamery and Farm are her dreams brought to fruition. Leitrim Lass returns home!

About Gypsy Gifford:
Gypsy has dedicated her life to making food that connects the farmer and the guest. After working as a Chef in New York for ten years she moved to Los Angeles where she headed up Disney Studios as Corporate Chef.

In 2013 she and her wife moved to Singapore where she took on teaching for The Culinary Institute of America and spent nine years deepening her knowledge of Asian cuisines. In 2021, it was time to combine her love for farming and food in Leitrim, Ireland making cheese that reflects the time and place of Leitrim Hill.

About Richelle South:
Richelle’s first career was as a professional dancer in Los Angeles CA where she was born and raised. While studying dance she also became fluent in American Sign Language which brought her to working in assistive technology for the Deaf and Hard-of-hearing using voice-recognition software.

At Captel she really cut her teeth on business helping grow the company from small to large over ten years. She continued this work in Australia building out offices in six cities around the country.

Before moving to Leitrim, she ran the Singapore office of the largest craft spirits distribution company in Asia, Proof & Company. She is thrilled to bring her background of building companies to Leitrim Hill Creamery and plans to drive agrotourism and put Leitrim on the Irish cheese map!