The Farmer In The Dell

As the movement towards farm to table continues to pick up steam we are seeing the slow and steady growth of the farm market.  In Caledon the most well know farm market is Downey's Farm out on Heartlake Road and just south of that is the lovely Broadway Market.  The newest entry to the Caledon community is the Heatherlea Farm Shoppe located at 17049 Winston Churchill Blvd.   Heatherlea is a real working cattle farm owned by the Gord & Pat McArthur, who take great pride in raising Black Angus beef cattle.  Oh yes, now we are talking my language.

 Not officially open until April 3rd, this brand spanking new farm market is all about the meat and the butchery.  They put the focus on all the right things;  ethically raised, free run, wild, drug free and locally sourced.  The in house head Butcher, Jason Cooney, is a young fellow who charmed me with his chatter as we shared meat recipes while he wrapped up my purchases.  Don't let his boyish good looks fool you, he's all about old school butcher talents, right down to packaging up my purchases with string, which conjured up childhood memories of going to the butcher shop with my Mum. Jason knows how to load up a mean meat counter.  The big highlight for me was the window to the aging room where you can tag, hang and age your own slab of beef.  Oh my.  This is my kind of farm market.  

Heatherlea Farm Shoppe is a great addition to the Caledon road of farm markets & local food.  They offer up one of the best meat counters I've seen this side of the St. Lawrence Market. 

Gord McArthur takes great pride in taking me out to the working part of the farm and walking me through the cow pens.  He shares his stories about how Heatherlea has evolved from a working farm, that at one time was home to a B&B and to what it is today.  One cannot help but to notice the family pride so evident at Heatherlea when you learn that Gord & Pat's son, Don and his wife Melinda are also a part of the farm and the shoppe.  This truly is a family affair that has embraced the whole farm to table culture.  

Heatherlea hosts an in house cafe counter where you can enjoy a small menu of comfort foods such as home made soups, chili, sandwiches and baked goods.  All made with love and local supplies.  

Rounding out the food goodness, you can purchase eggs, cheese, milk, local organic produce.  One of the other market offerings that really appealed to me was their in house cooking and butchery classes.  All this combined makes Heatherlea Farm Shoppe an awesome food shopping destination.

For more information about Heatherlea Farm Shoppe check out their website.