Cheese trail

Good cheese hunting: Day 3, in Eastern Ontario

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As we check out of Millisle Bed & Breakfast in Merrickville to head farther east in Ontario cheese country, we realize, to our consternation, that the lock of the trunk on our Ford Focus has jammed shut.

Barbecued turkey topped with mozzarella and cheddar, and red peppers and onions, makes a terrific sandwich on flat bread at Lock 17 Bistro at Burritts Rapids on the Rideau Canal west of Kemptville.

A galaxy of cheese on display at St. Albert Cheese Co-Operative in St. Albert, Ontario.

Zowie! St. Albert cheese curds squeak between the teeth—like good curds should.

A sure sign we have locked ourselves out of the trunk: No dishes, no utensils for our light supper of Empire 3-year cheddar, bison pate with figs and port and a phenom baguette, all from Mrs. McGarrigle’s in Merrickville.

Our day concludes in Hawkesbury with a delicious creme brulee cheesecake from Lock 17 Bistro. Still no utensils, still no dishes on account of the jammed trunk. Monday morning, we plan to find a Ford dealership.

Related links:

Millisle Bed & Breakfast

Lock 17 Bistro

St. Albert Cheese Co-Operative

Mrs. McGarrigle’s Fine Food Shop

Empire Cheese & Butter Co-Op

—Georgs Kolesnikovs

Georgs Kolesnikovs is Cheese-Head-in-Chief at CheeseLover.ca.

Cheese trail

Good cheese hunting: Day 1 and 2, in Eastern Ontario

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We’re tasting our way through Eastern Ontario, heading for Montreal and the Formula 1 Grand Prix and then Warwick for Quebec’s huge cheese festival.

Quebec chevre on a bruschetta at Millisle Bed & Breakfast in Merrickville, Ontario.
Quebec chevre with a fresh salad drizzled with raspberry vinaigrette at Millisle B&B.
Toasting the fine conclusion of Day 1 with Santa Christina Sangiovese over dinner prepared just for us by Chef Debra MacLennan at Millisle B&B in Merrickville.
Grand Marnier raspberry creme brulee topped with cream and a chocolate mint leaf. A fine conclusion to a memorable meal at Millisle B&B.
Baked salmon on eggs scrambled with Gruyere, with thick bacon of course. Millisle B&B.
Frittata with Provolone, Asagio and Mozzarella, asparagus, red pepper, carmelized onion. Millisle B&B.
Lots of butter and a generous chunk of cheddar make the perfect breakfast scone at Millisle B&B.
Garden salad with Woolwich chevre at Yellow Canoe Cafe in Merrickville.
Grilled eggplant and Havarti on harvest rye sandwich at Yellow Canoe Cafe.
We spot a three-year Empire cheddar in the cheese display at Mrs. McGarrigle's Fine Food Shop in Merrickville.
An organic beet-spinach salad with Quebec chevre makes a pretty plate at Serendipity Bistro in Merrickville.
Le Calumet, Rosenberg Danish Blue and Triple Creme with duck pate and fois gras at Serendipity Bistro.

Lest you think we’re eating only cheese, take a gander at . . .

Wild boar ribs baked for eight hours at Serendipity Bistro, with yam fritters, root vegetables, fiddleheads and a superb slaw.
The chipotle rub on the bison steak at Serendipity Bistro was a bit hot for the Cheese-Head-in-Chief but it was wonderfully medium-rare tender, and the classic frites were perfect.

Related links in Merrickville, Ontario:

Millisle Bed & Breakfast

Yellow Canoe Cafe

Serendipity Bistro

Mrs. McGarrigle’s Fine Food Shop.

—Georgs Kolesnikovs

Georgs Kolesnikovs is Cheese-Head-in-Chief at CheeseLover.ca.

Cheese trail

Ontario cheese taste trail

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[googlemaps http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=109815724710963726608.0004863d3ec086b02884b&ll=46.240652,-81.035156&spn=7.187587,20.544434&output=embed&w=425&h=350]

Simmering on a back burner at CheeseLover.ca is a dream to create and promote an Ontario cheese taste trail. Quebec has such a taste trail.  Why not Ontario?

We see Cheese Lover’s Guide to Ontario as a periodical publication and an interactive website. Of course funding—from commercial sponsors and government grants—will be a key ingredient that takes time to develop.

There are 50 cheesemakers in Ontario today. (We include historic Forfar Dairy in Portland which has ceased production but still has cheddar for sale.)

Here’s where to find Ontario cheesemakers:

Not all cheesemakers are open to the public or have on-site stores, so it’s wise to telephone ahead.

If you do visit an Ontario cheesemaker, we’d like to hear from you to start collecting experiences and impressions—and tasting notes—for Cheese Lover’s Guide to Ontario.

Editor’s note: Thanks to Bill Miller of The Art of Cheese for pointing out that we were missing Millbank Cheese founded in 1908 and now again owned and operated by the Old Order Amish of Ontario.

Cheese trail, Thornloe Cheese, Thunder Oak Cheese Farm

Cheese Lover’s Guide to Ontario North

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Here’s where to find the two cheesemakers in Northern Ontario.

[googlemaps http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=109815724710963726608.00047b5298b3281227735&ll=49.59647,-84.748535&spn=14.202364,33.793945&output=embed&w=425&h=350]

Click on “View Larger Map” for a legend showing the two cheesemakers, Thunder Oak Cheese Farm and Thornloe Cheese.

Here’s where to find the other cheesemakers:

Our mission at CheeseLover.ca is to publish profiles of all cheesemakers, descriptions of cheeses produced and maps of all regions in a printed booklet and interactive website under the banner of Cheese Lover’s Guide to Ontario. More, as the Ontario Cheese Trail project proceeds.

By the way, when you visit a cheesemaker, in Ontario or elsewhere, share your experience by leaving a comment below.

Cheese trail

Cheese Lover’s Guide to Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe

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Earlier, we mapped the cheesemakers in Ontario East and the cheesemakers in Ontario Southwest. Here are the cheesemakers located in Ontario’s Golden Horseshoe from Greater Toronto to Niagara.

[googlemaps http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?oe=UTF-8&ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=109815724710963726608.00047b3faed11f44e0e94&ll=43.77506,-80.029907&spn=1.864202,4.235229&output=embed&w=425&h=350]

Click on “View Larger Map” for a legend showing the cheesemakers.

Our mission at CheeseLover.ca is to publish maps of all regions, profiles of all cheesemakers and descriptions of the cheeses produced in a printed booklet and interactive website under the banner of Cheese Lover’s Guide to Ontario.

By the way, when you visit a cheesemaker, in Ontario or elsewhere, share your experience by leaving a comment below.

Cheese trail

Cheese Lover’s Guide to Ontario Southwest

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I’ll say it again: Quebec has a cheese trail to delight the senses. Why not Ontario?

Earlier, we mapped the cheesemakers in Ontario East. Here are the cheesemakers in Ontario Southwest, including the newest, Chanoki Cheese.

[googlemaps http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?oe=UTF-8&ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=109815724710963726608.00047aee6a1dfcc06145f&ll=43.98491,-80.980225&spn=1.968317,4.224243&output=embed&w=425&h=350]

Click on “View Larger Map” for a legend showing the cheesemakers. Then start planning your tour to taste some of the finest cheese made in Ontario.

Here’s where to find the other Ontario cheesemakers:

When you visit a cheesemaker, in Ontario or elsewhere, share your experience by leaving a comment below.

Cheese trail

Cheese Lover’s Guide to Ontario East

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Quebec has a cheese trail to delight the senses. Why not Ontario?

With 24 cheesemakers in the province east of Toronto, you could easily spend two weeks on the road tasting your way to bliss. Check out what we’re billing–Drum roll: Ta dah!–as the Cheese Lover’s Guide to Ontario East:

[googlemaps http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?ie=UTF8&hl=en&msa=0&msid=109815724710963726608.00047a63de1fc16f3bba0&ll=45.290347,-76.728516&spn=3.709952,7.03125&z=7&output=embed&w=425&h=350]

Click on “View Larger Map” for a legend showing the cheesemakers. Then start planning your tour to taste some of the finest cheese made in Ontario.

Here’s where to find the other Ontario cheesemakers:

When you visit a cheesemaker, in Ontario or elsewhere, share your experience by leaving a comment below.