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We understand that you may not be ready for this post yet. The first official day of fall is over a week away, and a lot of people don’t want summer to be over. But let’s face it—the days are getting cooler, there’s a chill in the evening air, pumpkin spice is on the menu everywhere you go, and a plate full of your favourite warm, delicious, fall comfort foods sounds pretty fantastic. In conclusion: fall is (essentially) here, so let’s embrace it.

The days are growing shorter, Labour Day has come and gone, and school is back in session. If you’ve got kids at home, this means you’re back to making school lunches five days a week—and by June, that adds up to a lot of lunches! Even if your children are old enough to pack their own lunch bags—a truly underrated parenting milestone—it means stocking your kitchen with family-friendly, school safe items that will actually get eaten. It can be a challenge, but your local butcher shop is here to help.

Summer always seems to fly by—year after year, the stretch between Canada Day and Labour Day passes in an instant. Whether you’re ready for fall or clinging to the last few weeks of this gorgeous season, we hope you’ve got something fun and relaxing planned for the long weekend. And if you haven’t made plans yet, might we suggest an end of summer BBQ?

When it rains, it pours—but sometimes, that’s a good thing! It’s been a busy summer at Olliffe, and there’s no sign of things slowing down any time soon. Believe us, we’re not complaining. Between an exciting television appearance, some Haldimand County farm tour planning, the last stretch of summer holidays and the fall season ahead, there’s a lot going on at your favourite neighbourhood butcher shop (and it’s wonderful).

Here are a few quick updates from the Olliffe team. Thanks for reading—we hope to see you in our Yonge Street butcher shop soon.

Farm tours are happening soon

In case you missed it: Cory Van Groningen will be welcoming customers, food service operators and other local food enthusiasts to Hillview Farm every Wednesday afternoon in September. Cory is a farmer, holistic management expert and local food advocate who co-founded Harvest to Gather (Olliffe is part of the Harvest to Gather family of companies alongside Rowe Farms, VG Meats and Ecosystem Hub Ontario). Cory and his family live at Hillview Farm where they raise cattle, poultry, lambs and more. All of the farm tour details are available here—we hope you’ll join us! And if you have any questions or require assistance signing up for a farm tour, just let us know. Our team would be pleased to help.

We were on TV last night!

Did you catch Harvest to Gather on episode 3 of the new culinary program, TASTED HERE? It aired on CHCH last night! Cory and Kyle Van Groningen both appeared in a fantastic segment on Ontario beef. We’ll post a link to watch the episode online as soon as it’s available—keep an eye on our social media channels for the clip! We’re excited to share it with you all.

We’re hosting more events

Olliffe is pleased to share that we’ll be hosting a number of in-store events in the weeks ahead including butcher and cooking demonstrations, sampling events and more. Please follow us on Facebook and Instagram for more details—we’ll share timing, dates and information about the event itself. You can also speak to one of our culinary experts in store—we’d be glad to see you in our Yonge Street butcher shop and welcome your questions/feedback.

It’s almost Labour Day

While we’re hesitant to say goodbye to summer, we do love a long weekend—and Labour Day is coming up fast. Olliffe will be sharing long weekend meal ideas on the blog next week but in the meantime, you can start stocking up on our pastured poultry, handmade sausages, burgers, kebabs and more. You can also register your FREE Solar Dollar Rewards account to gain access to exclusive offers, flash sales and more!

Back-to-school season is coming

With the end of summer comes the return of school days. That means planning lunch boxes, easy weeknight dinners and after-school snacks for the whole family. We’ll focus on this topic in an upcoming blog post, but let this serve as a reminder: stock up on your favourite local products now, because that school bell will be ringing soon!

Thanks for shopping local

Thank you as always for choosing our family-owned, independent, Canadian business. Olliffe has been serving Rosedale since 1975, and we’re proud to be a part of this beautiful community. Stop by our Yonge Street butcher shop to choose from a large selection of high quality, delicious Ontario beef, poultry, lamb and pork products—we look forward to serving you.

If you’d like to know more about where your food comes from, how it’s raised and what regeneration looks like in action, we’ve got good news—you can now use your Solar Dollars to book a tour of Hillview Farm in Haldimand County! This is Cory Van Groningen’s own farm where he and his family raise cattle, chickens, ducks, lamb and more. The first tour of the season will be on Wednesday, September 3rd starting at 1pm with additional tours on September 10th, 17th and 24th. Each farm tour will be approximately two hours in duration.

We love the summer months for plenty of reasons: the sunshine and warm weather, the beauty of nature in bloom, and delicious meals cooked outdoors. Another reason to love summer is our pasture-raised poultry—a delectable line of seasonal products that includes Olliffe’s pasture-raised chicken and pasture-raised duck. These products are raised here in Ontario and offer tender, delicious, flavourful meat—a true seasonal delicacy.

We love the August long weekend. The midway point of summer, it’s known for beautiful weather, fun in the sun and plenty of opportunities for rest and relaxation. Whether you’ll be camping at a provincial park, staying here in Toronto, visiting the cottage or lounging poolside, we hope you have a wonderful Civic Holiday!

We love the warm glow of summertime, and we love local food—it’s a truly perfect combination. If you feel the same way, here are a few delicious food combinations to try in the weeks ahead. These simple meals are outstanding—plus, you’re supporting local farmers and food producers with every delicious bite.

When it’s this hot outside, a crisp green salad with protein is an incredibly appealing dinner option. We love summer salads because they’re easy to prepare, surprisingly hearty, delicious and packed with vitamins and nutrients. You can use freshly grilled steak, chicken or pork but leftovers work just as well—just cook a bit extra one evening and you’ll have a quick meal the next.

Summer is made for good times: backyard barbeques, long afternoons beside the pool, hiking at the local conservation area, weekend trips to the lake, camping and of course, the classic Canadian road trip. No matter how you’re spending July and August, you’ll be busy—and hungry, we bet. So, let’s get prepared!

Some like it mild, but some like it hot—and at Olliffe, we’ve got something for everyone. With Canada Day coming up on Tuesday, July 1st, the Olliffe team would like to share some product recommendations that will add a little spice to your life (and your holiday BBQ).

No matter how much you love our classic beef burgers, it can be fun to switch things up from week to week. Here are three delectable suggestions from Olliffe—if you’d like to know more about these awesome local products, please contact us or visit our Yonge Street butcher shop.