Last week I had the opportunity to take a day trip to Stratford to experience its culinary delights.  Now typically when I hear the name Stratford I think of the Stratford festival.  More recently when I hear Stratford I immediately think of (one of) Stratford’s greatest exports, Justin Bieber (maybe I have a case of Bieber Fever).  After this trip I now associate Stratford with food.

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As guests of the Stratford Tourism Alliance we were treated to an action-packed day filled with unique culinary experiences. Everything from farm visits to candy-making and beyond. Being the ultimate city slicker I figured the day would wind up being something like the best episode of “The Simple Life” ever.  I had a feeling this would be the case when they suggested that we bring rainboots for foraging.  Problem is the only rainboots I own are snakeskin-textured Hunter boots (these ones to be exact), not exactly foraging style boots.  I ended up just wearing some crummy old Adidas shoes and called it a day.

Our first stop took us to Monforte Dairy where we got a tour of their new facilities that were still under construction. We were also treated to breakfast which consisted of Monforte’s sheep’s milk yogurt and granola from Tango cafe. I LOVED the sheep’s milk yogurt. Tangier than the usual yogurt but milder than goat’s milk yogurt. Sign me up!

Then it was off to Soiled Reputation to get a tour of the farm and do some foraging prior to our barn lunch and meet Antony John, his lovely wife and some of their animals. There were chickens and chicks, a cat named Uma Furman, a donkey named Jesus (said in the Spanish fashion) and countless opportunities to bird watch. In the end we foraged for some parsley and got to take a quick peak at our meat roasting on the spit. Heaven.

Seeing as how pork is my favourite meat I was super stoked to visit Perth Pork Products and meet some of my favourite meat. PPP raises heritage breeds of pigs including Tamworth, Berkshire and Wild Boar. It never occurred to me that we had Berkshire pork in this neck of the woods so I was excited to realize that I could acquire some not so far from home. The meat for our lunch would come directly from this farm.

Then it was back to Soiled Reputation for our barn feast prepared by Chef Neil Baxter and his team from Rundles. What was really great about this lunch was the fact that we got to connect with our food. From seeing the hens that laid our eggs, to walking through the fields where our greens come from to meeting the pigs that would end up on our plate. It was magical and a rare experience for committed city dwellers like myself. As you can see the menu was fantastic.  The pork was a true highlight.  Even the fat was amazing.  Seriously, it was creamy, flavourful and easy to chew.  I’d never had fat like that before.  Shouts also go out to the crispy poached egg on the salad.  I usually don’t eat poached eggs (can’t do the runnyness) but in this case it was pretty awesome.

After lunch we had the privilege of a tea tasting with Karen of Stratford Tea Leaves. I’m a HUGE tea drinker so I was all for trying some new varieties and learning of their provenance. I was particularly fond of the Jade Oolong and the Pu’erh. Next time I’m in Stratford I will definitely stop by the shop (she also does online ordering).

From there it was on to another highlight… candy! We visited Chocolate Barr’s where we got to help make Nutty Pop (think caramel corn with pecans and almonds). That stuff is pretty much crack. It required a lot of restraint to not eat all of the popcorn off of the table. Truth be told we did eat some… To go I picked up some chocolate covered pretzels and some fruit jellies. Both pretty delicious.

Alas our day was not done! We made a pit stop at Shakespeare Pies where we tried A LOT of pie. I ate an obscene amount of pie. Everything from cherry to rhubarb to pecan and the list goes on and on. Another neat thing about Shakespeare Pies is what’s in the fridges. They carry a ton of meat and meat pies at great prices. I didn’t get a chance to pick some up but it would be the perfect stop on your way out of Stratford.

Our last culinary stop was at The Best Little Pork Shoppe. Of course they have a ton of local meats (I picked up some bacon and ribs) but they have all sorts of adorable pig paraphernalia.

For more information about the culinary scene in Stratford visit Savour Stratford. They offer a variety of culinary tourism packages where you too can partake in some of the fun. They are also hosting a culinary week in September. Details are on the website.

Special thanks to the ladies at Stratford Tourism Alliance (Danielle and Emily) and also to Suresh of Spotlight Toronto for organizing this lovely day.

Here’s a list of the places we visited, things we ate and people we met along the way

Balzacs Coffee – Cathy Segeren
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Best Little Pork Shoppe – Linda Knechtel
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Chocolate Barr’s Candies Inc. – Derek and Jacqueline Barr
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Derek Barnes
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Monforte Dairy – Ruth Khlassen
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Twitter: @MonforteDairy

Perth County Welcome Centre and Artisan Market
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Twitter: @visitperth

Stratford Tourism Alliance
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Perth Pork Products – Fred deMartines
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Rundles Restaurant – Chef Neil Baxter
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Shakespeare Pies – Susie Wagler
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Soiled Reputation – Antony John
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Twitter: @ManicOrganic

Stratford Tea Leaves Tea Tasting Bar – Karen Hartwick
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Twitter: @teasommelier

To read more about this fab day visit my blogging buddies viaCommunity Foodist who has compiled a great list!

16 Responses to On The Town: Stratford, ON

  1. says:

    RT @wonTONfm {new blog post} i savoured Stratford and it was pretty delicious! http://bit.ly/9M45Nd

    This comment was originally posted on

  2. says:

    RT @wonTONfm Finally got my post up! http://bit.ly/9M45Nd

    This comment was originally posted on

  3. says:

    {new blog entry} On The Town: Stratford, ON http://goo.gl/fb/WCbuk

    This comment was originally posted on

  4. Great post Tonya :-) So wonderful to relive this fab day through your words!

  5. says:

    Great post! RT @wonTONfm: I posted about Stratford http://bit.ly/9M45Nd

    This comment was originally posted on

  6. says:

    RT @wonTONfm: Finally got my #stratford post up! http://bit.ly/9M45Nd @MaryLuzonfood @SarahBHood @ortdavid @chowbellaTO

    This comment was originally posted on

  7. says:

    @wonTONfm Fun pix on your piece of our #Stratford day too! : http://bit.ly/9M45Nd

    This comment was originally posted on

  8. says:

    RT @wonTONfm: Finally got my #stratford post up! http://bit.ly/9M45Nd @MaryLuzonfood @SarahBHood @ortdavid @chowbellaTO

    This comment was originally posted on

  9. says:

    Thanks for writing about us. On The Town: Stratford, ON » What’s On My Plate http://ht.ly/1UYOD

    This comment was originally posted on

  10. Wow, that looks like so much fun! You make me want to get more involved in the foodways of my own community.

  11. says:

    RT @wonTONfm: {new blog post} i savoured Stratford and it was pretty delicious! (Although no @justinbieber sightings) http://bit.ly/9M45Nd

    This comment was originally posted on

  12. candice says:

    I am just so jealous reading all of these Stratford posts!! I need to get my behind there, fast. Aounds like a marvelous time was had.
    (had to laugh at the rain boot comment, mine are pink polka dots. Would have gone with crummy sneaks as well)
    Cheers!
    C

  13. says:

    RT @wonTONfm: {new blog post} i savoured Stratford and it was pretty delicious! (Although no @justinbieber sightings) http://bit.ly/9M45Nd

    This comment was originally posted on

  14. says:

    RT @wonTONfm: {new blog post} i savoured Stratford and it was pretty delicious! (Although no @justinbieber sightings) http://bit.ly/9M45Nd

    This comment was originally posted on

  15. The pictures are great – so evocative!

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