This past weekend, people in the know (myself and Peter Mansbridge included) either jumped on the $20 round-trip bus or organized a road trip to Stratford Ontario for their annual weekend-long culinary extravaganza: Savour Stratford.

In it’s sixth year, the festival has grown to become one of the most respected food and drink festivals in Ontario. Savour Stratford brings together big industry names with local farmers and producers to introduce attendees to new tastes and new food ideas while also placing an emphasis on understanding the process of making food and supporting our growers and makers.

Guests can choose to simply wander the charming streets of Stratford and shop from all the stands that show off beautiful harvest offerings (omg…the colours of the vegetables!) or you can get more involved by purchasing tix to seminars and tastings. There are also fun workshops for kids that included everything from noodle-making to milking demos from Montforte Dairy and, of course, making friends with goats. Behhhhhhh! 

There’s so much to love! My Top 10 highlights from Savour Stratford 2013

1. A cooking demo with famed Chef Vikram Vij

Sweating onions, the fragrance of richly coloured spices and hearing Chef Vij talk about Goan-style curries was enough to make us want to lock ourselves indoors and cook Indian food all weekend long.

2. Filling our basket with veggies from Soiled Reputation farm

Beets, peppers, squash, garlic, leeks and carrots! We loaded up our basket with fresh organic veggies from this Perth County farm and imagined making soup or a traditional Sunday roast.

3. A Cup of Mindfulness workshop on Tea & Stress

I learned so many fascinating things from Tea Sommelier Karen Hartwick and her daughter, Medicinal Herbalist Michelle Stevenson! Lessons learned: If you’re hungover brew up Dandelion tea; matcha based teas will give exam-cramming students energy; expectant mothers should sip on raspberry leaf tea to help strengthen their uterus. I could go on, but best for you to check out this website.

4. Wandering the streets and making friends.

5. Great Global Grains with Chatelaine Food Director Claire Tansey

Guys, QUINOA IS NOT THE ONLY WAY!! Claire Tansey gave a wonderful presentation on the myriad of ways we can include healthy grains in our diet that are tasty and help the digestion process. Look for Rye Kernels and Wheat Berries at your local Loblaw and toss in to a kale salad for a super healthy easy meal. Or you could add drama to Cornmeal muffins by spooning in some salsa. D-R-A-M-A! (Claire also taught us how to massage our kale.)

6.  I ate a Belgian Chocolate Bacon Brownie. So there.

The Sunday Tasting Tent paired together local chefs with Perth County producers and guests were treated to four tents FULL of winning combinations. My favourite pairing, that was both sweet and savoury, was surely the Belgian Chocolate Bacon Brownie created by the Chef at Stone Maiden Inn with bacon from Grave Hill Farms. Omgomgomgomgomgggggggawddddd.

7. Food and Markets of Burma with Naomi Duguid

After a morning of walking around in the crisp air, we joined cookbook author, photographer and cultural explorer Naomi Duguid in the Stratford City Hall for a presentation on Burma. We all left with her latest cookbook and a strong desire to make noodle soup and travel to Asia. Who ever thought I’d go to Stratford to learn about Burmese monks and the Myanmar rice fields? Naomi is a fascinating woman.

8. Coffee breaks at Revel Caffe

Savour Stratford is a bustling festival and after wandering the town for hours, it’s nice to retreat for a while at The Revel Caffe. It’s not just the best coffee shop in Stratford, it’s one of the greatest coffee shops I’ve ever been to anywhere. The New York Times agrees.

9. TOMMY! 

Okay, The Who’s musical isn’t part of Savour Stratford, but when in Rome….If you’re going to make a weekend trip out of this, you might as well book yourself in for a play or, in this case, musical. Saying that Tommy is a stupendous sensory experience is not newsworthy but that’s exactly what it was.

10. Boys from Chicago Sippin’ On Milkshakes

This festival has grown so much that it’s not just Toronto tourists filling the streets. These boys were on a school trip from Chicago. I can’t confirm whether or not they took the Justin Bieber Stratford Tour but I did spot them trying out food from various vendors and they loved posing with their milkshakes.

There’s something for everyone at Savour Stratford! Even Rocky got a treat from The Barkery Healthy Bakery for Dogs. Woof-woof! Let’s do it again next year!