Kawarthas Northumberland is home to truly innovative chefs, brewers, and food producers
With beautiful scenery and cottage country roads, taking a road trip for the day can be a delicious foodie adventure. Food culture in Kawarthas Northumberland embraced the “farm-to-fork” movement before it was a fad. Our chefs and restaurants know how to deliver a great taste of place that you can’t get anywhere else in Ontario. If you’re interested in the destinations that really embrace a local food ethic, check out our Feast On-certified restaurants.
If you’re looking for something sweeter, check out the Butter Tart Tour, which has over 50 stops and is the perfect opportunity to tour local bakeries for sweet and delectable treats. Also consider the Taste of the TSW program for even more unique flavours.
The culinary scene in the region is robust and full-bodied. Famous for an abundance of fresh ingredients and intrepid chefs, we are a unique area in Ontario thanks to vast quantities of fresh water and rolling hills with nutrient rich topsoil. Our farmers take advantage of the distinctive microclimates to cultivate flavourful produce and raise healthy, happy livestock. Fuelled by a zest for farm-to-table, and supported by a network of family farms, local markets, bakeries, and restaurants, our food scene is popular with foodies of all types.
Sign up for a cooking class, tour a winery or brewery, enjoy local food in our exquisite restaurants, and be sure to fill up on some award-winning butter tarts. Regardless of what you’re looking for, a visit to Kawarthas Northumberland is guaranteed to satisfy your culinary cravings.
Kawarthas Northumberland has a proud heritage of family-owned and operated craft breweries, distilleries, cider mills, and vineyards. Each is uniquely connected to its locale. Even if some of these award-winning craft brews are available at the L.C.B.O., you need to be here to experience their full range of unique flavours.
Expand the accordion menus below to see the range of brews and beverages on offer, or use the interactive trip planner below.
| Belmont Lake Brewery | 54 Fire Rte 17, Havelock |
| Bobcaygeon Brewing Co. | 4-649 The Parkway, Peterborough |
| Church-Key Brewing | 1678 County Rd 38, Campbellford |
| Focal Brewing Co. | 98 County Rd 35, Hastings |
| Ganaraska Brewing Company | 33 Mill St S, Port Hope |
| Haven Brewing Company | 687 Rye St Unit 6, Peterborough |
| Northumberland Hills Brewery | 1024 Division St, Cobourg |
| Old Dog Brewing Co. | 30 King St E, Bobcaygeon |
| Pie Eyed Monk | 8 Cambridge St N, Lindsay |
| Publican House Brewery & Pub | 294 Charlotte St, Peterborough |
| 100 Acre Brewing Co. | 390 Ashburnham Dr, Peterborough |
| Rice Lake Hard Cider | 4741 45 Bldg #3, Baltimore |
| 401 Cider Brewery | 262 Orchard Rd, Colborne |
| Kawartha Country Wines | 2452 Peterborough County Rd 36, Buckhorn |
| Rolling Grape Winery | 260 County Rd 2, Bailieboro |
| Black’s Distillery | 99 Hunter St E, Peterborough |
| Persian Empire Spirits | 636 Queensway Ct, Peterborough |
At its most basic, a butter tart is simply butter, sugar, syrup, and eggs. The magic happens when these simple ingredients are combined and baked in a pastry shell until golden brown and the filling is semi-solid–or really runny depending on your tastes and baking style. This simple combination is what was featured in the first known printed recipe from the early 1900s. Found in the Royal Victoria Cookbook by The Women’s Auxiliary to the Royal Victoria Hospital located in Barrie, ON, this simple tart has become a staple of the Canadian cuisine landscape.
While we didn’t invent the iconic Canadian treat that is the butter tart, we’ve most certainly perfected the delivery of these sweet treats. The Kawarthas Northumberland Butter Tart Tour combines dozens of stops offering some of the best butter tarts in Ontario in one fun-filled, family-friendly tour.
You can taste your way across Northumberland County, Peterborough County, the City of Peterborough, and Kawartha Lakes. Tour partners include our stellar local bakeries, charming cafes, and elegant restaurants as well as welcoming resorts and inns across the region each serving up their take on this Canadian classic treat.
Kawarthas Northumberland is an agritourism destination where animal lovers of all ages can connect one-on-one with some four-legged friends, from fuzzy alpacas to friendly pigs, goats, and donkeys. Learn about working farms and where your meat and dairy come from.
Peterborough County offer many farm-tastic experiences to enjoy, from alpaca walks to pig rescues to riding stables. If you’re more into farm goods and produce there are many farmers’ markets to take in across the region.
If you’re looking for a truly immersive experience, Haute Goat near Port Hope offers an Alpaca Sleepover where you will slumber in a private space inside the alpaca enclosure. Haute Goat is just one of the many ways of getting grounded in nature in Northumberland. You can also enjoy other experiences such as Primrose Donkey Sanctuary or the free range wildlife on Grasshopper island on Rice Lake, plus the many farm fresh farmers’ markets.
In Kawartha Lakes, “farm-to-table” is a way of life. The region is covered in beautiful agricultural land that weaves around the shining lakes. The farm experiences, farm stands and farmers’ markets in Kawartha Lakes are a thriving example of the movement to support local foods and products. Learn where your food comes from in Kawartha Lakes!
Spring marks the arrival of maple syrup season in Kawarthas Northumberland and visitors can sample the bounty throughout the region. With over 25 maple syrup producers in Kawarthas Northumberland, local restaurants, resorts, cafes and makers take advantage of this sweet local ingredient by adding maple flavours to dishes, creating tasty baked items, or adding sap to local craft brews.
Tasting maple isn’t just reserved for harvest season. Food and beverage providers across Kawarthas Northumberland have artfully created with this iconic Canadian condiment to offer you maple flavoured, maple infused, or maple inspired ingredients.
Looking for more details? Visit the regional links to find festivals and events, or jump to our dedicated Maple page.
The Kawarthas Northumberland blog is the place to go for longer stories and additional recommendations. Browse the articles below to find out more about food and drink in the region.
The Trent-Severn Waterway The Trent-Severn Waterway is getting international attention this year, as people around the world discover what we already knew—this is the perfect place to experience a Canadian summer filled with nostalgic feelings of childhood. A place where nature meets small-town charm, and adventure flows through! The New York Times named the Trent-Severn Waterway one
Maple season arrives this year at a time when people are primed to make the most of local experiences and national pastimes. Tapping trees, boiling syrup, and rolling maple taffy in the snow are annual traditions that can evoke rich, happy memories of Canadian spring—or create new ones for kids on their first trip to
Eliza Braden-Taylor is a cultural interpreter with the Curve Lake First Nation Cultural Centre. As maple syrup season approaches, we asked Eliza if she could share an Indigenous perspective on the history, meaning, and importance of maple season. She responded with a detailed and thoughtful account of the teachings she has encountered as a member