If you consider extra cheese a lifestyle rather than a topping, and you’re currently itching to ditch the Toronto traffic for a day, we may have just found your next road trip.
About 90 minutes from the city, there’s a Cheese Trail in Oxford County that runs Big Cheese Days every Saturday this month. It’s a simple way to move through the area’s dairies, backroads, and small local stops that don’t usually make it into a weekend plan. You can see how the curds are made, or take it slower and work your way through a few dairy-focused stops along the way.
If you get out of the city early enough, you can hit the Woodstock Farmers Market by 8 a.m. It’s the best spot to grab a coffee and stock up on local haul like Greener Pastures meat or Wild Comfort soap before the real dairy crawl begins. From there, head to Gunn’s Hill Artisan Cheese where you’ll be able to head into the aging cellar to see thousands of wheels of cheese stacked to the ceiling.
By lunch, you’re going to be looking for something to soak up all that sampling. You can go the pub route at Brickhouse Brewpub for a massive braised beef poutine featuring local ale gravy and more Gunn’s Hill curds, or keep it a bit more low-key at Upper Thames Brewing Company with a prosciutto and Brigid’s brie pizza. Both spots do a ‘beer and a bite’ deal for around $20, which is probably cheaper than your last Uber Eats order in the city.
If you’ve got an hour to spare, you definitely want to hit up GoodPud in Tillsonburg. They host a Decadent Dairy Desserts workshop every Saturday where you actually learn how to make two different desserts using local Oxford produce. It’s super laid back, costs $20, and you walk away with a recipe booklet and 10 per cent off their shop.
As you wind your way back toward the city, make sure you hit the roadside spots that make this county famous. Mountainoak Cheese is a must for Gouda lovers — they have dozens of flavours, including a black truffle that is a mustr-try. If you have kids (or just love goats), Udderly Ridiculous Farm Life offers 50 per cent off admission with the code BIGCHEESE, and their goat milk ice cream will probably be one of the best things you’ll eat all year.
Before you hop back on the highway, finish the day at six39 for their 6-course prix fixe or grab a $5 Turkey and Avocado ciabatta from Your Farm Market for the road. Just make sure you pack a cooler, because you’re going to be hauling a lot of Bright’s old cheddar and New Galma bitterballs back to Toronto.
