From Our Favourite Local Ontario Makers, Artisans & Producers

Buying local is more important than ever, so we’ve selected five outstanding Ontario makers to feature for our 2020 Ontario Made for the Holidays gift list. Each gift recommendation comes from a local Ontario maker, artisan or producer and we’ve tried them ourselves.

Discover glorious artisan cheese baskets from some of the province's finest cheesemakers, kitchen essentials hand-crafted in wood and ceramics too beautiful to use. You'll love the small-batch eggnog from Sheldon Creek Dairy (Hurry - it goes fast!). Gift the joy of virtual cooking classes for kids from one of Ontario's finest Red Seal Chefs while you sip a new cream liqueur made with real Canadian cream in Almonte, Ontario by the light of your hand-poured Winter Wheat candle, a scent you'll crave year round.
 

If you’re ordering online, we suggest you move fast to make sure your gifts arrive before the holidays!

Cheese baskets made by local cheesemakers are a sustainable, timely gift for the holidays. You’ll find a wide range of farmstead and artisanal cheeses to rival European classics, and some unique cheeses you’ll only find right here in Ontario.

Many cheesemakers will prepare a gorgeous holiday basket, but if you like things customized, we’ve provided a few solid recommendations for each cheesemaker. That said, you really can’t go wrong with any cheese!

Southwestern Ontario:

Mountainoak Cheese, New Hamburg, ON

Savour Ontario recommends: Black Truffle Gouda, Farmstead GOLD, Wild Nettle Gouda

Stonetown Artisan Cheese, St. Marys, ON

Savour Ontario recommends: Wildwood, Grand Trunk, Homecoming

Gunn’s Hill Artisan Cheese, Woodstock, ON

Savour Ontario recommends: 5 Brothers, Brigid’s Brie, Handeck

Upper Canada Cheese, Jordan Station, ON

Savour Ontario recommends: Niagara Gold

Monforte Dairy, Stratford, ON

Savour Ontario recommends: Cow Tomme,

GTA:

Quality Cheese, Vaughan, ON

Savour Ontario recommends: Bel Haven Brie, Le Bon Secret, ricotta

Cheese Boutique, Toronto, ON

Savour Ontario recommends: you trust your cheesemonger to create a beautiful, all-Ontario basket.

Southeastern Ontario:

Glengarry Fine Cheese, Lancaster, ON

Savour Ontario recommends: The Celtic Blue, The Lankaaster, Big Brother

Empire Cheese, Campbellford, ON

Savour Ontario recommends: All the Cheddar!!!

Fifth Town Artisan Cheese, Prince Edward, ON

Savour Ontario recommends: Morning Moon, Rose Haus, Cow Parmesan

Northern Ontario:

Thornloe Cheese, Thornloe, ON

Savour Ontario recommends: Devil’s Rock, Hot Pepper Colby, any one of their incredible flavoured cheese curds

Julia’s Child, virtual instruction with Red Seal Chef Tawfik Shehata

Chef Tawfik’s extraordinary ‘Food School for Families’ comes with a promise: Real Skills. Real Food. Really Fun.

Not for the English muffin pizza crowd, Julia’s Child provides a rare, chef-led opportunity for students to prepare, cook and plate the evening meal for their family. Over the four-week class cycle, the recipes developed by Chef Tawfik will expose students to a variety of flavours, textures, techniques and methods that together provide the fundamental toolkit for home cooks. This is possibly the most sustainable gift you can give a child of 10+ years.

$315 for 4 lessons (one per week for four weeks)
 

Includes 4x90-minute classes, weekly digital shopping and prep list
 

note: class sizes are small, so book your child soon!

Serenity Country Candles, Brantford, ON

Artisan Lynda Vanderstelt has been making hand poured candles since 2005. What started out as a hobby grew to appearances at weekend craft shows and ultimately to her whimsical shop in Brantford, Ontario. Lynda’s signature line of high-quality candles come in a wide range of custom, beautifully curated fragrances and is complemented by seasonal home decor items and outstanding coffees.

The can’t-miss scent, in our opinion, is Winter Wheat. This candle fragrance captures a unique sense of time and place and guarantees every guest will demand to know the source this complex, unforgettable and wholly immersive scent. “I was greatly inspired by Winter Wheat in Sparta, says Lynda, speaking of a unique shop and tourist attraction and shop that was destroyed by a fire in 2019. “My favourite piece of work was the creation of the “Winter Wheat” candle. Although Winter Wheat is now closed, you can still light a candle, close your eyes and hopefully recall memories of days spent wandering the store and the whimsical grounds of a place so fondly missed.”

What does it smell like? Winter Wheat. Just trust us.

26 oz. jar: $29.99

16 oz. jar $21.99

Votives $2 each or 9 for $15

Tealights (package of 6): $5.99 each or 3 for $15

Tart Melts (clamshell): $4.99 each or 3 for $13

Blackbird Pottery, Haliburton, ON

April Gates, owner and operator of Blackbird Pottery has a unique and distinctive style rooted in functional design. “I love functional work”, Gates shares, “and in particular, I love bowls. So, making woodland bowls is pretty special to me… they are true labours of love. “ Gates sources her elements from the landscape, and It shows. Her woodland bowls are a perfect expression of her region, but completely independent of typical flora, fauna and symbolism. Her colours, textures and subjects show a deep sense of place that is completely original. “I think that local makers and producers help to connect people to their ‘home’, their region or simply a place. Building relationships with local business builds community, and we all need community, now more than ever. My business is tucked away in the Haliburton Highlands, a gorgeous region in central Ontario. My work reflects the abundance of the natural world that surrounds me.”

Woodland Bowls: from $250

Ramekin/Cups: $30/pc or 4 for $100

Find April’s pieces at:

Blackbird Pottery Studio Showroom

5843 Gelert Road

Haliburton, ON  K0M 1S0

Or visit the online shop.

Sheldon Creek Dairy, Loretto, ON

Sheldon Creek Dairy is a family owned and operated on-farm dairy just north of Toronto. They’re known for their incredible cream top whole milk and A2 milk, flavoured yogurts (raspberry maple!!!), kefirs, dips, smoothies and ghees, but their seasonal flavoured milks are truly legendary. The holiday season is all about their coveted Holiday Eggnog, which brings fans from miles away each year.

You can visit the Sheldon Creek Dairy retail store or order online on their new local food bodega portal From the Farmer!

The Woodsman’s Daughter, Toronto, Ontario

“I’ve sort of always felt that if you put you’re work out there you’ll eventually attract the right people” says Toronto-based woodworker Krista Ross, also known as @woodsmansdaughter. Krista fell into this line of work almost accidentally, having gone to OCADU for drawing and painting, then shifting to environmental design where she took her first woodworking class and fell in love instantly. Krista makes hand made wooden utensils, serving boards and candle holders amongst other things. Every piece made by Krista is hand picked local wood to ensure that the grain, colour and texture is exactly what she is looking for. Using only various species of maple and walnut for the majority of her work, she aims to only source domestic and sustainably harvested wood.

Each piece is beautifully crafted, and made with care and patience. Krista’s talent is obvious when looking at her products. Simple, elegant, and functional are just few of the words we would use to describe her work. Her products range from $55 - $150, from long-handled stirring spoons and measuring spoon sets to large serving boards. Not only are her products fairly priced, but they are made with sustainably sourced, quality local materials that will last you a lifetime.

Find Krista’s pieces at:

COMMON PEOPLE SHOP

1594 Queen Street West, Toronto, ON

647 558  8566

https://commonpeopleshop.com/

ROSE CITY GOODS

1504 Dundas Street West, Toronto, ON

416  994  5979

https://rosecitygoods.com/

KEEP

194 Main Street,  Picton, ON

613  399  1010

https://www.facebook.com/keepcounty

PICTUS

1561 Dupont Street, Toronto, ON

647 232 5339

https://pictusgoods.com/

For custom orders, please email: hello@thewoodsmansdaughter.com

Dairy Distillery, Almonte, ON

Just in time for the holiday season comes Vodkow Cream, a new cream liqueur from the sustainability wizards behind Vodkow, an Ontario vodka crafted from milk permeate. Vodkow Cream is made from a three-ingredient blend: original Vodkow, fresh, all-Canadian cream and sugar. You’ll find it less sweet than a typical liqueur with the heat of vodka that resolves with a creamy smoothness.

You can purchase Vodkow Cream at select LCBO stores, but if you order online through Dairy Distillery you can add some of their hand sanitizer or Vodkow soap to your cart!
 

Check out our incredible cocktail recipes made with Vodkow Cream!