Find gifts for the chocolate lover, the beer lover, the chef and more on the Sip and Savour Trail.

The Chocolate Lover

Everyone knows a chocolate lover can tell the different between an artisanal well-crafted and a commercially made chocolate. These local chocolatiers produce perfectly made confections that will warm the soul.

Hummingbird Chocolate Maker in Almonte is obsessed with making award-winning bean to bar chocolates. They source the best quality cacao to craft their chocolate, creating a complexity of flavours that varies depending on the cacao bean’s country of origin. Hummingbird Chocolate has created a “HoliYay!” box with all of their award-winning chocolate bars in it that would be perfect for a gift this year.

Dive deeper into the world of chocolate and gift a Perth Chocolate Works box for Christmas, creating your very own artisan chocolate box specialized for your loved one. Order online and personally select each delicious chocolatey flavour to gift to someone special.

At Village Treats in the village of Lanark, you will find chocolates that have withstood the test of time – this local favourite has been in business since 1979! Check out their holiday chocolates that make the perfect stocking stuffer.

If you give some of these chocolates as a gift this holiday season, it is guaranteed to gain the respect and affection of any chocolate lover.

The Beer Lover

If you are shopping for a beer lover these craft breweries offer the perfect gift; from stocking stuffers to fun 12 beers of Christmas packs they’ve got you covered.

Nothing makes the holiday season better than a cold brewed enjoyed in front of the shining lights of a Christmas tree, and Perth Brewery’s 12 Beers of Christmas will give you a variety of seasonal beer flavours to choose from. Looking for a stocking stuff? Braumeister Brewing Co. has the craft beer that will do for the job. And if you toss in one of their new toques you will have one happy beer connoisseur.

Other craft breweries offer beer that you might not be able to find at your local LCBO and can be found all over Lanark County concocting delicious brews just for you. Pick up a few from each and create a local sampling pack with a little bit of everything in it.

The Chef

We all have a loved one that you can’t tear away from the kitchen, always concocting delicious new recipes that we just love to taste test. This year, give a gift that you both can enjoy from Pêches et Poivre in Almonte – they offer goody bag subscriptions, gift baskets and a monthly subscription to the Almonte Cheese Club, all of which will make that Chef at heart very happy.

Browse their online store or visit in person and find something for that hard to shop for person on your list – doesn’t everyone love a good charcuterie board, handcrafted wooden spoon, or cute teapot?

Boozy Boxes

Anyone who has the in-laws coming or is working hard to create the perfect Christmas dinner will appreciate a boozy box for Christmas. Dairy Distillery in Almonte offers several gift ideas for dairy lovers who really shouldn’t be consuming lactose, if you know what I mean. This intrepid distillery has created Canada’s first lactose free cream liquor and their Vodkow Cream Liquor Gift Pack is the perfect holiday gift for cocktail and eggnog lovers.

In Perth, Top Shelf Distillers is offering a variety of craft spirit creations this holiday season, like their Truly Canadian Butter Tart Kit or their Apple Pie Moonshine Mule Kit will gift someone with everything they need to craft a great cocktail at home.

The Cheese Lover

Don’t cheese or wine make the best gifts?? At Perth Cheese Shop in downtown Perth you can explore cheeses from around the world, and they have a ton of fun kitchen gadgets that will make the perfect accompaniment to a sturdy cheese wheel or charcut-a-cone (you’ll have to ask to find out what that is).

If you need a cheesy gift basket, check out the gift baskets at the Perth Cheese Shop or you can also head down the street to Foodsmiths, known for their amazing gift baskets chock full of local products.

The Maple Lover

It goes without saying that in Canada maple anything makes the perfect holiday gift and is a great option for teachers, bus drivers, postal workers, friends, family, and more! Find the perfect maple-inspired gift from a local maple syrup producer like Fulton’s Sugar Bush & Maple Shop in Pakenham, Wheelers Maple in McDonald’s Corners, or Thompsontown Maple Products in Clayton. You can order online from most of these producers or swing past and pick it up right on site. Slap on a bow and you’ve got the perfect – and local – gift!

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Find more inspiration for local gift giving that will make your holiday gift giving easier, including sweet treats or baked goods (think German-inspired pretzels), dining gift cards, or one-of-a-kind art from a Canadian artist on the Sip & Savour Trail.

The post Local gifts to savour in Lanark County first appeared on Savour Lanark.

Food and drink has been bringing people together since the days when our ancestors gathered around the fire to share a communal meal. A mug of beer is the ultimate conversation starter, and who doesn’t perk up at the sight of a killer charcuterie board coming your way?

Experiencing a food and drink trail is the perfect way to spend time with friends, family, or loved ones, and a great way to pick up your weekend (or week!). It’s also a good way to get to know a region by its flavours, and learn more about the makers who produce the deliciousness we love to consume.

Naturally, we think the food and drink trail you should discover is the Lanark County Sip & Savour Trail! Only minutes from Ottawa, Lanark County is home to more craft alcohol producers per capita than the city of Ottawa, along with delicious flavours and unique products to experience. Come and savour our region from a food and drink perspective for a unique culinary adventure.

From girlfriend getaways to couple’s retreat, and road trip adventures, read on for five ways to experience a food and drink trail.

Weekend (or longer) adventure

Heading out for an overnight getaway is one way to unwind and reconnect after a long week. In Lanark County, we have four overnight accommodations on the trail, and some of these have partnered with other trail destinations to give you a special discount on your overnight stay. Spend your day filling up on Lanark County goodness, then relax in a cozy bed and breakfast, hotel, or inn, and start the adventure all over again the next day.

Reconnect as a couple

They say that couples who stay together the longest are the ones who learn new things together, and a food and drink trail is a fun way to  share in new experiences. Savour the romance with an overnight stay at a cozy bed and breakfast and use it as your home base to explore the trail from top to bottom. Learn all about how Dairy Distillery makes its Vodkow from dairy permeate, or how Perth Chocolate Works makes it delicious chocolates. Learn about maple production at Wheelers Pancake House, then stop in Perth for a fine dining experience at The Stone Cellar, before discovering new bands with a live performance at O’Reilly’s Ale House.  Learn about cannabis production at the Tweed Visitor Centre, and stop for a cup of something warm and frothy at C’est Tout Bakery. #Reconnect and discover each other (and Lanark County) all over again.

BFF getaway

Grab a friend (or two) and turn your food and drink experience into a fun girlfriend getaway. Tour breweries, distilleries, and chocolateries during the day, then dine on local flavours at a restaurant within walking distance of your hotel. A few glasses of wine with dinner and if you weren’t best friends before your trip, you will be after!

#RoadTrip fun

Heading out on a road trip is so inspiring – anything can happen, and you are ready for whatever comes your way. Experiencing a food and drink trail is the ultimate build-your-own adventure where you get to pick the experiences you want to have. Your road trip can take you to Almonte to sample English style beer at Crooked Mile Brewery, then to Hummingbird Chocolate Maker for a chocolate adventure before stopping in for a warm cuppa at Tea and Cake, and finally on to  Peches et Poivre to pick up some culinary goodies to make your own feast at home. Next, make the short drive to Carleton Place to visit a brewery there, stop for lunch or dinner at Black Tartan Kitchen. Spend the night in Perth or Smiths Falls and pick up your road trip adventure the next day!

Mid-winter (or any season) pick-me-up

If you’re feeling blue by the cold weather, nothing will pick you up faster than a delicious meal, discovering new flavours from craft alcohol producers, or a delicious meal at a Lanark County restaurant. A food and drink adventure is just what the doctor ordered to cheer you up anytime of the year.

The post 5 Fun Ways to Experience a Food and Drink Trail first appeared on Savour Lanark.

There are a few schools of thought on gift giving – those who think the gift should be something that will last and last, and those who think the gift should be about an experience. Both schools of thought are right in their own way – gifting someone with a food and drink experience is a fun and different gift, and gifting someone with a locally produced edible or treat says so much more than a  commercial gift.

Here at the Sip & Savour Trail, we think that a food and drink experience or local product is one of the best gifts you can receive.

When you tour the Sip  & Savour Trail, you’re embarking on a foodie adventure that will have you wondering why you waited  so long to visit Lanark County (after all, we’re less than an hour from Ottawa!). Here are four reasons why food and drink experiences make the best gift, and why experiencing the Sip & Savour Trail is a  good way to give – and receive.

1: Memories are forever. (especially food memories)

That’s worth repeating: Memories are forever. It’s a fact that quite often our favourite memories are those surrounding food: The dish your mom made just for you that always made you feel cozy, the first cocktail on a Friday evening after work, the sweet desserts that made every holiday. The Sip & Savour Trail is a curated virtual trail where all the best food and drink experiences have been identified for you. So over the holidays you can grab friends or loved ones and embark on a foodie adventure that will have you laughing and reminiscing while gifting you with new foodie memories to turn to for years to  come.

2: Calories don’t count over the holidays

Is that a thing? No? Sigh. Well, we think all calories accrued in December should be automatically void. Still, if you’re going to indulge over the holidays, why not do it with world-class food and drink destinations where you get to savour the flavours of a region from farm to plate? Tour the Sip & Savour Trail with friends or family and  sample Lanark County maple syrup at Wheelers Maple Products or Temple’s Sugarbush, craft alcohol producers concocting delicious brews just for you, and inspired meals at fun restaurants. The experience will be worth a few extra calories.

3: Gifting local food and drink products is a thoughtful touch

Can anything be more thoughtful than a local gift? Giving a local product often introduces people to new flavours and experiences they may otherwise have missed. It also says, “Hey, I saw this and thought of you.” I mean, anyone can go to the liquor store and pick up a case of commercial beer, but not everyone will take the time to go straight to the horse’s mouth (so to speak) and pick something up that’s made close to home, and with a story to tell.

4: Speaking of stories…

Taking part in a food and drink experience introduces you to the people and the stories behind their businesses. And believe me, these are the stories you want to hear! Learning about how they produce their delicious products, and more about what inspired them to embark on their foodie entrepreneurship is part of the fun in doing the Sip & Savour Trail. It’s an edible AND educational experience, all rolled into one.

So what are you waiting for? Visit the website and plan your route for the ultimate holiday experience. All you’ll need to do is figure out who to bring with you…

The post 4 reasons why food and drink make the best gifts first appeared on Savour Lanark.