This Much I Know: Maxine Hyde

Maxine Hyde runs Ballymaloe Foods in Little Island, Cork. The company was established 30 years ago by her mother, Yasmin, the daughter of Myrtle Allen

Maxine Hyde

I always thought I’d end up in the family business. My mother [Yasmin Hyde, the daughter of Myrtle Allen] started Ballymaloe Foods when I was four and I remember tasting the first product, Ballymaloe relish, and loving it.

I was a shy child and didn’t enjoy primary school. I wasn’t good at spellings or maths and developed a ‘I’m no good at school’ mentality. Thankfully, I loved secondary school with its wide mix of personality types and people from different backgrounds. There were 100 girls in my year alone.