Six Star Magazine Six Star Magazine Spring/Summer 2019 | Page 28

FOOD
This region currently produces most of the milk in
Ontario, to the tune of 286 million litres annually...
To put past and present into perspective, start your trip with a visit to the Ingersoll
Cheese and Agricultural Museum. This site chronicles 150 years of local cheesemaking
history through a recreation of a 19th-century cheese factory. While there, you can pose
for photos in front of a life-size replica of the infamous mammoth cheese. Weighing in
at over 3,300 kg, this giant slab toured the U.S. and England to promote sales of Oxford
County cheese in 1866.
When in Ingersoll, there are many ways to sample the dairy goodness of the region.
Grab a cup of the best hot chocolate around at Chocolatea. Try the deep-fried cheese curds
from Gunn’s Hill. Sample the homemade mac ‘n cheese topped with pulled pork at Louie’s
Pizza and Pasta, as featured on TV’s You Gotta Eat Here. Finish it all off with a mini-
cheesecake from The Olde Bakery Café, then spend the night at the Elm Hurst Inn. This
inn was built in 1872 for James Harris, owner of the cheese factory that made the famous
giant cheese. At Mansion Restaurant, in the hotel, you can order a customized cheese
course with selections from local varieties.
As you head east toward Woodstock, take scenic country roads to Gunn’s Hill Cheese.
This award-winning producer offers tours as well as a hands-on affinage 101 workshop,
which explores the finer points of cheese aging. Participants can “wash” cheese wheels in
brine, taste and evaluate samples and then indulge in a cheese fondue. Insider tip: Plan
your visit for a Friday afternoon, when freshly made cheese curds are available.
In Woodstock, take part in a local tradition and take your photo with the statue of
Springbank Snow Countess, the “legendairy” cow that broke the world record for butterfat
production in 1933 and held it for 22 years. The statue is at the corner of Dundas Street and
Springbank Avenue, not far from other cheese trail standouts, including arancinis (Italian
rice balls stuffed with smoked Five Brothers cheese) at Sixthirtynine, poutine from Charles
Dickens Pub and ice cream at Habitual Chocolate.
These are just some of the ways to test drive Oxford County’s tasty prowess. Just bring
a hunger for adventure and you’re well on your way…
WOODSTOCK
INGERSOLL
LAKE HURON
LAKE ONTARIO
LAKE ERIE
TILLSONBURG
29 six star magazine
PHOTOGRAPHY: (left side images) Damian Dudek; (above) Stefanie Ponting