The Cheese Bar
25 Amy Croft Dr Unit 29-30B N9K 1C7 Lakeshore, ON, Canada

Happy New Year!!! What a year. From tastings and workshops and popups to full lockdowns, becoming a 7 days a week mobile grocery store & delivery service, participating in the @dwfmarket was the largest community support we’ve ever seen, slowly reopening the storefront in July, hosting pop ups again in store and even hosting an outdoor market with @grownladygarments This year we partnered with so many incredible businesses and we were able to bring over 30 local small busines...ses products in store to make it easier for you to support local. From @ironkettlechef fresh breads and @thepantrybakeshop fresh pastries, there were always delicious goods for you to choose from. I, Sarah, owner of The Cheese Bar, is more grateful than words can describe. Most importantly, my staff, willing to work harder than ever before during times with so many uncertainties, they were here! Helping customers, maintaining a safe environment to work and shop in all while smiling and loving what they do. Working 65hrs a week the past six weeks for some of my staff was the craziest and most challenging times we’ve ever experienced this holiday season. We’re taking a break and hope that you are too! Wishing everyone a safe holiday and a healthy and Happy New Year from all of us at The Cheese Bar! See you January 7th. No sooner See more

Let’s Fondue for NYE! Fondue is a Swiss melted cheese dish served in a communal pot (caquelon or fondue pot) over a portable stove (réchaud) heated with a candle or spirit lamp, and eaten by dipping bread into the cheese using long-stemmed forks. We have the pots, we have the cheese, we have the meat amd we have the fresh bread from @ironkettlechef to create your very own experience at home this New Years Eve! An interactive experience for two or for the whole family!

Merry Christmas! We wish you a very healthy, safe and joyous holiday season. From Sarah & The Cheese Bar Team, thank you for shopping local, for supporting all the local makers and the 20+ Canadian cheese makers we carry in store! We are grateful for you and our customers and most importantly for being a part of this amazing community. Happy Holidays!

Well, here’s another treat that we have for you to enjoy over the holidays.... available in store only. Open daily until Christmas! Tête de Moine... Eight centuries ago, in the Swiss Jura Mountains, monks of Bellelay Abbey had a sense of humor. Fashioning small cylindrical ''monk's head'' cheeses, they invented a machine, called a girolle, to thinly shave away layers from the top, exposing a bald spot. Made of raw cow's milk, this semi-hard cheese has a dense texture and a seriously intense, fruity flavor. One of the stronger, sweeter Swiss cheeses we've experienced, it pairs nicely with fresh or dried fruits or hearty dessert wines of equal intensity. Bon appetit!

Our Holiday Market kicks off today! Snow is even in the forecast. What a better way to spend a Sunday then to come out and support local small businesses that set up rain, snow or shine! Our Sweater Drive is underway! Please bring any lightly used-clean-sweater-all sizes-all ages- let’s keep our community warm this season! Drop off is inside the shop next to the Christmas Tree! We are asking that all vendors and attendees where masks as we enter zone orange Monday. We would ...prefer that everyone be safe during these times. We also ask that you are mindful of social distancing. Please try and have exact cash or bring plastic for your transactions. Reusable bags are handy and we suggest bringing them with you when visiting the Holiday Market! All of our vendors have worked hard to prepare for these events and would love the support even on cloudy days! This Sunday’s line up includes... @purelypaintings @greenerbinscompost @grownladygarments @auntiealdoospiesandpastries @ecovana.ca @eastvalleypizza Red Heels Cakes + Pastries @hookedbyrebecca @loonieloops @theyqgbox @cookupinc Designs By D @passionate.lyyours @wecare4kidsfdn

Ladies & gents... it’s that time of year! And we have a few of these precious wheels in stock!!! Vacherin Mont D'Or is perhaps one of the most sought-after cheeses on the market. A thermalized cow's milk cheese wrapped in spruce to contain the woodsy liquid interior that, with one taste, commands spontaneous exuberance. Extremely rare and highly seasonal, Vacherin Mont d'Or hails from Switzerland on the border of France near the mountain D'Or. Traditionally made with the wint...er milk of the same cows that produce Gruyere in the summer, this cheese is only available from October until April, making it all the more precious. The cheese must be made from cows munching on straw and fodder; once outside to graze at pasture, their milk is used for larger alpine cheeses. Swiss regulations also dictate the cheese must be produced at elevations of 2,297 feet or higher. Not a dictate, but we highly recommend you enjoy this delectable cheese with a bottle of Gewurtztraminer. Photo credit @vacherin_mont_dor

If you haven't already heard....We are hosting a Holiday Market with over a dozen local artisans and small businesses from Essex County. This market will mostly outdoors with a few vendors set up in store. The Market will be Sundays weekly from 12pm-3pm. Huge shout out to our organizer Alley, owner of Grown Lady Garments! We will also be commencing our sweater drive this weekend! We invite you to bring in clean, lightly used sweaters for all sizes and genders. We need to help... keep those in our community warm! Let's do this together. Some of the vendors include: GreenerBins Composting Company LoonieLoops The YQG Box Cook Up Inc Designs by D Passionate-ly yours Hookedbyrebecca Red Heels Cakes + Pastries East Valley Pizza Purely Paintings Auntie Aldoos Ecovana Lemon Soul Labyrinth Inspire by Keri Green Envy Acorn and Oak Coffee Sincerely Katie Twig and Bloom Higher Vibes Creations & More!!!!

It’s Raclette season and we have everything you need to make this happen! Raclette is a semi-hard cheese made on both sides of the French and Swiss Alps. Valais Raclette or Fromage a Raclette, as they are traditionally called, are made using ancestral methods with unpasteurised milk of cows grazing on the alpine meadows. The name Raclette comes from the French word ‘racler’, which means ‘to scrape’. The cheese has got a thin, brownish-orange coloured rind and a pale yellow p...ate with a few and scattered open holes. It has a very distinctive pleasant, aromatic smell with a creamy texture, similar to Gruyere cheeses, which does not separate even when melted. The flavour can vary from nutty, slightly acidic to milky. While Switzerland supplies 80% of Raclettes, French Raclettes are slightly softer with a smooth and creamy flavour. Raclette is also the name of a Swiss dish where the cheese is melted in front of a fire or a special machine and the melted parts are scraped onto diner plates. It is then served with small potatoes, gherkins, pickled onions and air dried meat called Viande des Grisons. Raclette comes in round and square shapes and can be served with Vin de Savoie. #raclette #fallfood #thecraze #swiss #french #swissfood #swisscheese #frenchcheese #dinner #timetoentertain #dinnerfortwo #dinnerforfour #letseat

We’ve teamed up with @walkervillebrewery to bring you their NEW DIY Beer & Charcuterie Box all the essentials to create the ultimate Beer and Charcuterie tasting at home! They have customized this box to create the perfect pairings sip, taste and enjoy! DIY Beer & Charcuterie Box comes with: - 6 x different 473ml cans of Walkerville Brewery craft beers ... - The Cheese Bar DIY Charcuterie Kit for 2-4 people - Tasting notes + guide book - Disposable Sample Cups https://www.walkervillebrewery.com//pre-order-diy-beer-amp ---- ORDER INFO: Pre-orders only accepting orders until Tuesday, November 17th. Link in Bio! Orders are available for Pick-Up Only (No Delivery). Orders will be ready for pick-up at Walkerville Brewery on Thursday, November 19th and Friday, November 20th from 11am-6pm. Limited quantities available while supplies last! No substitutions. #beerandcheese #thecheesebar #walkervillebrewery #craftbeer #yqg

So here’s the thing... we cut in to this wheel of cheese yesterday and well, it’s irresistible. If you were in the shop when we tasted this cheese, Sarah was out of control. She was giggling, raving about it, and cutting in to the wheel at least three times to cut more for herself. -La Moutonnière Blue- Fromagerie de la Moutonnière... An artisan cheese or fromage fermier with a pronounced end note, La Moutonnière Blue is a slightly crumbly yet unctuous blue. Fruity and complex, it delivers that lovely depth true to hand-crafted cheeses. Created in 1998, La Moutonnière Blue was once aged at Saint-Benoît-du-Lac Abbey. From 2000 to 2009, affinage took place in the farm’s own underground affinage caves. Today it is aged in their new cheesemaking facility, only a few kilometres from the actual sheepfold. It is Québec’s very first blue-veined cheese prepared with sheep’s milk. Cheesemaker: Fromagerie La Moutonnière is a pioneer in Québec when it comes to cheese made with ewe milk. At the beginning of the 90’s, Lucille Giroux, owner of Bergerie de la Moutonnière since 1977, decided to go into the cheesemaking business. Mrs. Giroux imported 33 dairy ewes from Sweden and, in 1995, introduced her feta, Québec’s first ewe milk cheese. Fromage fermier au goût prononcé, le Bleu de la Moutonnière possède une pâte onctueuse légèrement granuleuse. Il présente des arômes fruités et complexes, avec une touche fermière. Lancé en 1998, le Bleu de la Moutonnière était à l’époque affiné à l’Abbaye Saint-Benoît-du-Lac. Entre 2000 et 2009, il était affiné dans des caves d’affinage souterraines situées sur la ferme. Il est dorénavant vieilli à la nouvelle fromagerie, à quelques kilomètres de la bergerie. Il est le premier fromage persillé de brebis à avoir été produit au Québec. Fromagerie: La fromagerie de la Moutonnière est une pionnière dans l’histoire des fromages de brebis du Québec. Aux débuts des années 1990, Lucille Giroux, propriétaire depuis 1977 de la Bergerie de la Moutonnière, décidait de se lancer dans la production de fromage. Mme Giroux a alors importé 33 brebis laitières de Suède et a lancé, en 1995, le premier fromage de brebis du Québec, son fromage feta.

Fresh cheese curds: Cheese curds are the fresh curds of cheese, often cheddar. Their flavor is mild with about the same firmness as cheese, but has a springy or rubbery texture. Fresh curds squeak against the teeth when bitten into, which some would say is their defining characteristic. We have been bringing in these delicious treats from @gunnshillartisancheese for 5yrs! #cheesecurds #freshpoutine #poutine #yqg #curds #gunnshillartisancheese

Weekly we are provided with incredibly beautiful, local, freshly picked bouquets by @floramereflowers We don’t know how many more weeks we will have these gorgeous flowers available for our customers...but while they last we are thrilled to collaborate with Natasha, another yqg female business owner! Together we stand strong and our community thrives with all of this local support and collaboration.... https://thecheesebar.ca//fresh-local-tulips-floramere-flo/ #farmfreshflowers #freshflowers #fieldflowers #yqg #floramereflowers #femaleentrepreneur

Donuts!!! Collaborations are something we love here at The Cheese Bar. This coming Friday Fall inspired fresh donuts by @shelbyssweetshoppe will be available. We strongly recommend to pre-order online as these beauties will sell out fast! Each 6pk will include Cinnamon Sugar, Apple Fritter & Maple Dip. ... Don’t miss out on these fabulous treats by Shelby! https://thecheesebar.ca//donut-6pk-by-shelbys-sweet-shoppe/ #donuts #cinnamonsugar #mapledip #applefritter #shelbyssweetshoppe #yqg #supportlocal #windsoressex #femaleentrepreneur

DIY pizza kits are back this coming weekend! Featuring fresh dough and sauce from our neighbours @eastvalleypizza fresh mushrooms from our friend Denis @themushhub and nothing but the best local mozzarella cheese from Galati Cheese Co. Three flavours to choose from: Margarita Fungi... Prosciutto & Arugula #margeritapizza #fungi #supportloca #yqg #fungipizza #mushroomhub #wildmushrooms #prosciuttoandarugula #pizza #galaticheese

Pâmoison’s linen Reversible Cross-back Aprons and linen handwoven Kitchen Towels are now on display at the shop! Their line of fine kitchen linens has been added to our fine selection of specialty items. The Apron and Kitchen Towel patterns are all inspired by the nature and culture of Canada, with names like POUTINE and BIRCH. Take a look next time you are in store for your fromage fix! ***... NOUVEAU!! Les Tabliers Croisés Réversibles en lin ainsi que les Linges à Vaisselle tissés à la main en lin de chez Pâmoison sont maintenant présentés au magasin! Leur collection de linges de cuisine exclusive son un beau compliment à notre fine sélection. Les couleurs des tabliers et des linges à vaisselle, comme POUTINE et BIRCH, sont tous inspirées de la nature et la culture du Canada. À voir lors de votre prochaine visite au Cheese Bar! www.pamoison.ca #finelinen #handwoven #canadianinspired #pamoisonboutique #naturalfibres #linenlove #kitchentowels #handmadeincanada #ecoconscious #sustainableliving #handmadewithlove #ecofriendlyhomedecor

After kicking and throwing The Cheese Club box around we open in it to see if it’s worthy of travel!

Biltong: Tender cuts of premium beef. Keto friendly. South African style meat made in Oakville, Ontario by Florence Meats.... About Florence Meats: They are a second generation family business celebrating over 40 years in the Oakville community. As a boutique butcher shop, they specialize in local dry aged beef, in-house smoked meats and poultry, and a wide range of premium products. They operate a small freestanding meat plant in Oakville that allows them to source mainly from Southern Ontario farms - some of the best in the world. They take pride in the exceptional quality of their products and personalized approach to customer service. Co-owner Damian Goriup, named Ontario’s Finest Butcher for 2017, believes in marrying tradition with innovation. He and his wife Carol keep a keen eye on the evolving consumer tastes and trends happening in Canada as well as other parts of the world. One of the best selling products that they make is biltong, based on the original recipe developed by Florence Meats founder Mario Goriup (Damian’s father) while he was working in South Africa in the early 1970’s. #southafrica #biltong #biltongincanada #ketofriendly #canadianbiltong #highprotein #yqg