Victoria Cheese Tours & Cheese Tours in Vancouver Island
! How to prepare a cheese board
What to buy
For variety and interest, choose at least five types of cheese that offer contrasting flavours, colours and textures, such as creamy goat, semi-soft brie, tangy blue and firmer cheeses.
Hilary's Artisan Cheese
Hilary and Patty Abbott founded Hilary's Cheese in the Cowichan Valley in 2001. They source quality cow and goat's milk from area farmers. With that milk, and working in small batches, they use artisan techniques to make a deluxe array of cheese. Some of those include fromage à la crème, Valley Blue, St.
Little Qualicum Cheeseworks
In 1999, after living in Switzerland a number of years, Clarke and Nancy Gourlay returned to Vancouver Island, motivated to make magnificent cheeses like those they had enjoyed in Europe. They thoroughly studied the practice and by 2001 were making cheese. They now operate Little Qualicum Cheeseworks and Morningstar Farm in the Parksville/Qualicum Beach area.
Moonstruck Organic Cheese
Cheesemaker Julia Grace and farm manager Susan Grace have been teaming up and making beautiful cheese on Saltspring Island since 1998. Their company, Moonstruck Organic Cheese, milks a small herd of pampered purebred Jersey cows. The company believes the healthier and happier the cows are, the more sweet and fragrant their certified organic milk will be.
Natural Pastures Cheese Company
In 2001, a desire to find other ways to get their fine quality milk to market prompted Comox Valley farmers and brothers, Phillip, Edgar and Doug Smith, to turn to cheesemaking. They've been winning awards for their products ever since. Natural Pastures says its cows live a stress-free life on heritage dairy farms committed to environmental sustainability.
Saltspring Island Cheese Company
Owner David Wood started making cheese on his Saltspring Island farm in 1994 and, when he was finally happy with his product, started selling it in 1996. Since then his company has grown to the point where its product is available in several other provinces.
