Lisa Smith

Lisa Smith established Ginger Bakers in 2006, a business that took the leap from baking for pleasure to the “hey, I could do this for a living” stage and has never looked back since.

Lisa followed her passion into an industrial design degree before travelling, doing a couple of ski-seasons and relocating to Hong Kong to teach both English and Design. By the time she wanted to return to UK, she had become disheartened by the design industry and re-trained in Art Therapeutics before spending many great years working with children with learning difficulties in schools.

“I’d always baked for friends and family and enjoyed it. So, I began to bake cakes for a local café to supplement my income until I could build up enough work in Art Therapy.

I baked an awful lot.  I trailed myself and my cakes around so many farmers’ markets and promoted the business everywhere.  People liked my products and bought more. Over time, I began to gain traction.”

Ginger Bakers is only a small team with just a handful of staff working alongside Lisa, but the output – both in terms of volume and fabulous flavours – far outweighs their modest numbers.

Ginger Bakers produce a sumptuous array of great cakes and tray bakes that would make any gourmand go weak at the knees. Take the Damson Brandy Fruit Cake, a handsomely mature loaf made with handfuls of dried fruits that have been re-awakened and taken their fill of fine brandy before being married with a generous helping of Lake District Lyth Valley Damsons. Local damsons, again from the nearby Lyth Valley, are a regular ingredient and contribute to the award winning Chocolate Damson Brownies, nothing short of chocolate fudgy heaven with a subtle hint of sharpness from the fruit. Keeping things local, the Westmorland Pepper Cake is a great traditional fruit loaf and a true Cumbrian gem with its distinctive and robust flavours of ginger, cloves and black pepper.

“Quality ingredients baked with care and generosity” boasts the company’s strapline and generosity is definitely no understatement. Along with the plentiful fruits, spices, chocolate and nuts, awards also abound as Ginger Bakers are able to boast a multitude of accolades for their baking prowess with national Great Taste awards becoming almost commonplace across the product range – ‘Almondie’ being the latest winner, scooping a Gold Star at the 2014 awards.

“We believe good food needs high quality simple ingredients and attention to detail, so we always strive to use the freshest and locally sourced ingredients wherever possible, and always free range eggs.” says Lisa

Join Lisa Smith, with 5 other women in the food industry,  where you will hear her story at our panel discussion “”Inspiring Women in Food”” at our Lancashire Female Food Entrepreneurs event on January 30th 2020 at Lancaster University with Marketing Lancashire.

Find out more and book your FREE place for our Lancashire Female Food Entrepreneurs event here.