Weekend Escape: Oxford County Cheese Trail

I love cheese. Okay, that’s an understatement. I truly don’t think I could live without it. So when I found out about the Oxford County Cheese Trail, I just had to check it out. Dotted with craft cheese makers, shops and experiences, the curated trail is a great way to explore Canada’s dairy capital. Bonus: it’s only a 90 min drive from Toronto making it a gouda weekend escape…

What To Do

Meet A Local Cheesemaker: Put this at the top of your list — it’s cheese country after all! At its peak, there were 98 cheese factories in Oxford County. The region now produces over 70 different varieties of cheese and dairy products. So, in my opinion, a tour and tasting at one of the four, award-winning cheesemakers on the trail is a must. I recommend spending time at Mountainoak Cheese or Gunn’s Hill Artisan Cheese to get a sense of how the dedicated cheesemakers craft their artisanal cheeses. Whether it’s gouda you’re after or Swiss-style varieties, they’re sure to blow your socks off with their incredible creations. Do not leave without trying the Farmstead Premium Gold gouda at Mountainoak Cheese and the 5 Brothers at Gunn’s Hill Artisan Cheese (oh, and their brie)!

Visit A Brand New Craft Brewery: Founded by five partners, Upper Thames Brewing Co. opened its doors to the public in August. These guys are passionate about crafting small batch beer in-house and currently offer six of their own brews on tap along with a series of guest taps. I recommend pulling up a chair and trying the Timberbeast Brown Ale or the Sleepy Dbl IPA in their beautiful taproom (they sourced many of the design elements themselves: I love the upside down canoe hanging over the bar).

Treat Yourself To Handcrafted Chocolates: Incorporating local ingredients whenever possible, Cindy Walker makes her delectable chocolates onsite at Chocolatea daily. Small batches, no preservatives and unique flavours. You can taste the love she pours into each one. Her energy is infectious, the tea selection at the store is excellent (did I mention Cindy and her husband are also tea sommeliers?!) and the chocolates are mouthwatering…

The Canadian Breakfast is a must in my opinion…

Sample Maple Syrup: Voted best tasting maple syrup in Canada by the National Post, Jakeman’s Maple Farm is pumping out liquid gold…

A family business since the early 1900’s, the Jakeman’s are fully committed to all-things-maple. You’ll find everything from maple cookies and candies to maple sugar and spread proudly displayed on their shelves. I even tried something I had never tasted before: Maple Ice Wine Syrup! Two Canadian products I love brought together in perfect harmony (great for cooking/salad dressing/by the spoonful). This is how excited it made us…

Where To Eat

Lunch At Charles Dickens Pub: Combining a hearty English menu with Canadian classics, this local pub in Woodstock is the kind of place you’ll want to head to for a relaxed meal with friends. Great service, solid dishes and a cozy ambiance. The British family who owns the pub incorporates local ingredients whenever possible (case in point: their chicken wings are never frozen and sourced from Tillsonburg). They also use Gunn’s Hill cheese curds in their poutine!

Dinner At Louie’s Pizza And Pasta: Home of the Big Ass Panzerotti, Louie’s is known for their comfort food and ginormous portions. Trust me, you will NOT leave this place hungry. This is the SMALL panzerotti…

They were also recently featured on You Gotta Eat Here so Rey (from EatnMingle) and I were super excited to check them out. I think my fave item on the menu was the Coney Island Cheese Curds made with beer-washed, local cheese curds, tortilla strips, house chili and Sriracha aioli. Yum!

Where To Stay

Elm Hurst Inn & Spa: An Ontario landmark since 1872, this place is just oozing with character. One look at the architecture and I fell in love. The Inn is historic, charming and nestled on 30 acres of rolling countryside. Sounds dreamy, right? It is. The boutique hotel has been welcoming guest for over three decades! The service is exceptional, the rooms are spacious and they have a fine dining restaurant and full-service spa onsite.

But for me, the most memorable part of our stay was wandering the grounds during sunrise and sunset. There’s just something so magical about this Inn. It’s the perfect place to unwind after all the gluttony in the region…

Hope you guys get out and explore the Oxford County Cheese Trail soon! The business owners are passionate, the country roads make for great road trips and there are plenty of world-class cheeses to be devoured along the way. Oh, and while you’re there, snap a photo of you enjoying the trail and share them on social media using #TryTheTrail — you could win a Cheese Trail Getaway at the Elm Hurst Inn & Spa, cheese tours and more (full contest details here). Gouda luck!

A huge thanks to Ontario’s Southwest and Tourism Oxford for hosting our group on this press trip. As always, all reviews and opinions are entirely my own.