Tuesday August 20, 2024 | LANGFORD, BC
by Mary P Brooke | Island Social Trends
When tourists arrive on cruise ships in downtown Victoria, they often have remained right downtown to shop and visit restaurants.
Now the tourism footprint has been expanded with agritourism options available in the west shore and Sooke.
Last month Destination Greater Victoria in partnership with CRFAIR (Capital Region Food and Agriculture Initiatives Roundtable) announced the newest self-guided trail within the Flavour Trails Program – Barns, Beaches & Beyond.
Builds on peninsula & islands trails:
Complementing the existing trails on the Saanich Peninsula and Southern Gulf Islands, this new self-guided itinerary allows for exploration of farm-fresh offerings in Langford, Metchosin, and Sooke.
Barns, Beaches & Beyond:
Barns, Beaches & Beyond includes a variety of hands-on experiences including restaurants, farms, distilleries, workshops, and more for agritourism and culinary experiences, and hands-on encounters — both urban and rural.
Featured hotspots:
Participants can enjoy novice to experienced workshops, learn about the unique complexities of the blacksmith’s craft, meet the makers of Sheringham Distillery’s award-winning Fresh Lemon Liqueur (Gold, a Country Winner) and Raincoast Gin (Silver), discover lavender fields at Bilston Creek Farm, or nourish the body with brunch at House of Boateng where West Africa and Caribbean flavours meets Pacific Northwest Cuisine.
- House of Boateng
- Bilston Creek Farm
- Satinflower Nurseries
- My-Chosen Café
- East Sooke Regional Park – Aylard Farm
- Hide N Seek
Local producers & culinary:
“Greater Victoria and the Southern Gulf Islands are bountiful regions, and offer visitors access to unique offerings,” noted Destination Greater Victoria’s CEO, Paul Nursey.
“This new Flavour Trail exposes guests to another great producing region, highlighting the extraordinary pride of local producers which are the backbone of Greater Victoria’s thriving culinary scene, rated #8 in the world by Conde Nast Traveller readers in 2023,” says Nursey.
The importance of buying local is emphasized.
“This new Flavour Trail showcases the beautiful landscapes that our local producers call home, the breadth of producers and the way that farming supports local restaurants. It is a really special route not to be missed,” noted Linda Geggie, Executive Director, Good Food Network & Capital Region Food & Agriculture Initiatives Roundtable.
This new Flavour Trail is available now for visitors and locals alike to explore, self-guided.
===== RELATED:
Resources: Urban Food Resilience Initiatives Society
News sections: FOOD & AGRICULTURE | TOURISM