Residents and visitors to Modanville have a brand new place to have lunch and dinner and pick up fresh homemade bread after the opening of Annie's Country Bakery recently.

Owner Andy Oliver told the Lismore App he had seen the building for sale for such a long time and thought about what could work given his experience so he purchased it, revamped it and turned it into a bakery/cafe.

"We hope this will be more than just a bakery and cafe, we hope this will be a place where people can meet, socialise, enjoy the view and have nice food," Andy explained.

(The stunning view you will enjoy at Annie's in Modanville)

Annie's Country Bakery has been eight months in the making and the result is a stunning space for everyone to enjoy.

"There's three times as much parking than what was here and plenty of shade under the trees with a stunning view. Now we've started on the food side of it by baking all of our own produce."

Andy's bakery machines have been imported from Italy where he says there are over 30,000 bakeries so they have the volume to produce equipment.

"They make good products plus Australia doesn't make any equipment that will do what this equipment will do. Some of it we had to order because it is a little unique, with the rest purchased through a local importer who I've been dealing with for 30 years."

(Andy out front of his mixing machine)

There is a long history of baking in Andy's family tree with his great-great-great grandfather a baker in Ireland plus his grandmother had two deli's in Melbourne where "she employed a hundred people and used to bake four gross of rabbits a day during the depression and the second world war. My mother did her apprenticeship there so I learnt to cook at home," Andy said.

"I've worked in the commercial side of the industry, I've worked for very large small good manufacturers and spent time in the meat industry and general food processing as well as the fact I did have a bakery for 20 years in Tasmania."

So, what can people expect from Annie's Country Bakery?

"We want to make a homemade style product with real milk, real eggs, real butter and no substitutes."

(Sourdough moulds ready for baking)

Sourdough and ciabatta bread, a range of square doughnuts, croissants and danish pastries are on the menu.

"The range will expand to include our own homemade slices, pork and fennel sausage rolls but the idea is to make fresh product every day that is unique."

Andy's favourite is the sourdough bread then on the other side of the counter is a butter chicken pie which has become very popular. For those that have a sweet tooth, the French Vanilla gets the tick of approval from Andy. In fact, ex-staff of his are spread all over the country, such as Alice Springs, and continue to make his French Vanilla Slice which is one of their best sellers too.

As well as the freshly baked items, Andy will be putting on some special nights featuring different cuisines.

"Last night we had a Thai evening and last week it was an Indian style curry evening. We hope to keep that up and maybe expand it to Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights."

Coffee lovers will know Tuc Markandu and his mobile coffee van. Tuc and his wife Tracy are now part of Annie's Country Bakery as the "front of house coffee master" as Andy describes him.

(Tuc and Tracy Markandu at their coffee window in Annie's Country Bakery)

"In the future, we will be roasting their own coffee which will be a blend of arabica coffee from five parts of the world."

The name, Annie's Country Bakery, is a simple handing over of the family business.

Andy's other businesses were called Andy's and now that he is "basically retired" he wants to set this up for his daughter Annie to take over. The problem is that Annie is only 11 so it may be a while before she takes over the running of the family business putting Andy's retirement on hold for a few years.

"At the moment my wife is running front-of-house, I'm organising the baking side of it and the staff and Annie is starting to learn the business. Over the next few weeks, she will start to show her skills," Andy added.

If you need any more encouragement to make the drive to Modanville, here are Andy's final words.

"People will see what we've got and the quality of what we've got and the ambience that we've got and the views that we've got with easy parking all within an easy drive from Lismore."