Choosing Canadian Cheese

We’re huge fans of Canadian cheese and cheesemakers. Wondering what’s so special about Canadian cheese? We’ll tell you!

Canadian artisanal cheese

Canadian cheese is uniquely defined by its use of 100% quality Canadian milk, strict supply management, and a rich dual-heritage that blends French monastic traditions with British cheddar-making.

This combination results in an award-winning artisanal industry deeply tied to local terroirs, famously championed by provinces like Québec and Ontario. Today, Canada’s artisan cheese makers blend these old-world techniques with local ingredients, producing unique styles.

Of the more than one thousand cheeses made in Canada, Québec comes first. Québec produces more than 700 to 900 unique varieties of cheese across more than 110 cheesemakers. Its tradition of raw-milk production distinguishes Québec from the rest of Canada.

Ontario tends to be recognized as a cheddar producing province, however, we are seeing a diversification in the style of cheeses emerging in this province.

Québec and Ontario are not the only provinces producing award winning cheese. You can find cheeses made in all Canadian provinces. Canadian cheese makers are well recognized worldwide and at the national awards the titles are dominated by Québec and Prince Edward Island.

It was hard to select just a few Canadian cheeses, but we’re happy to share some of our favourites here.

Some of our faves

**La Bête-à-Séguin**, Fromagerie de L’Isle-Aux-Grues, Isle-aux -Grues, Québec. This cheese’s soft paste offers buttery and animal aromas. The brie de Meaux was the inspiration for this cheese and, like it, there are sweet butter flavours with mushroom notes.

5 Brothers by Gunn's Hill — **5 Brothers** from Gunn’s Hill in Woodstock, Ontario. 5 Brothers has creamy and rich flavors with sweet overtones, toasty notes with a fruity sweetness that breaks through on the finish. There is a certain lactic sweetness to it as well, and a perfection of salt levels.

**L’Adoray** from Fromagerie Montebello, Montebello, Québec. This cheese offers a slightly spicy and smoky taste. It has the particularity of being wrapped nicely in spruce bark, which imparts a woodsy flavour to the paste. The Adoray has flavours of salted butter, wood shavings, spice, and damp hay.

**Avonlea Clothbound Cheddar**, Cows Creamery, Charlottetown, PEI. Inspired by a Scottish recipe and English style cheddar and made in the tradition of the colonial times. It is earthy closer to the outside, but with creamy, buttery, sweet & tangy flavours in the chewy centre.

Artisanal cheese in Almonte

If you’re looking to sample amazing Canadian cheeses, come into Pêches & Poivre. We always have a good selection in our fridges. You might consider joining our Almonte Cheese Club too.