A Day Trip To South Pond Farms

Last week, I attended a media event at South Pond Farms, a beautiful wedding and event space about 75 minutes from Toronto. If you follow me on Instagram, you know that I attend my fair share of blogger events. There are many reasons that I enjoy media events (great networking opportunities, cool experiences, sneak peak at new products, etc), but I was especially looking forward to this one. I knew from looking at their website, that the team at South Pond Farms was going to spoil us. Sure enough, they did not disappoint. Thankfully, I brought my camera with me and I snapped a ton of photos. I hope you enjoy my visual story from that day.

I live about an hour (give or take) outside of the city of Toronto. Most of the time, if I want to attend a media event, I have drive into the city. As you can imagine, the drive into the city is pretty uninspiring. While my drive to South Pond Farms took about the same amount of time, it was a much nicer drive.

In hindsight, I should have given myself time to grab a coffee for the road, but as always, I spent too much time putting on my makeup. #reallife

The South Pond Farms Property –

As soon as I pulled up to the South Pond Farms property, I fell in love with it. The barn area was beautiful! You could be forgiven for not expecting a farm barn to be beautiful, as many modern farms now only use steel barns and sheds due to their superiority over wooden barns. These steel buildings alaska farmers could use are a good example of what many would expect. But this is a very traditional barn, both rustic and beautiful in equal measure. The barn overlooked a lush, rolling hillside. In the distance, you could see the space where they host wedding ceremonies.

I was quickly greeted by the friendly faces of the owner, Danielle French, and the the marketing and special events coordinator, Christine Briggs.

Immediately, I noticed all of the personal touches, like the hand-written ‘welcome’ sign and unique decor. There was a long table set up for lunch – and it took my breath away. They pulled out all of the stops to make it perfect for us. The table was set with rustic bouquets, antique dishes, mismatched wooden chairs and a jar of local honey as a favour. The decor reminded me of my friend’s antique tripod tables which she had in her backyard for special occasions. The place and the setting were truly idyllic!

The Food at South Pond Farms –

In addition to being impressed by the beauty of the South Pond Farms property, I also thoroughly enjoyed the food. The entire lunch (including drinks) was farm-to-table, thanks to Chef Kevin McKenna.

The meal began with a delicious assortment of canapés, served outside, next to their pizza oven. The remaining courses were served inside. We started with a salad course, which was light, colourful and fresh. Our main course was a mouthwatering maple smoked beef brisket, with Silo BBQ sauce. It was served on top of a wild rice “risotto”, which paired perfectly. We also enjoyed fresh bread on the side. Side note: It took everything in me not to devour the whole loaf! For dessert, we enjoyed a rhubarb strawberry shortcake. I do have to admit to picking off the strawberries (since I’m one of the only people who hates strawberries). The rhubarb was served in its raw form and it had a delicious tartness. The dessert was also topped with a few edible flowers, which made it feel especially elegant and charming.

Iron Horse Ranch –

Before heading home, we explored the Iron Horse Ranch, another property that belongs to the South Pond Farms family. This property is still in the works, but so far, it’s coming along beautifully. Each part of the building is unique and comes with a story. I’m curious to see what the space will look like when it’s ready in a year or two.

It was great being able to see the horses up close and I got some great snaps. They are truly stunning animals. The team at the Iron Horse Ranch were really friendly and they provided lots of brilliant information about the horses and how to keep them. One thing we learned was that one of the biggest problems they encounter is horse laminitis. Apparently it is very hard to treat, although CBD can help to manage the pain and inflammation. We’d all love to go back to the Iron Horse Ranch and learn more soon.

FYI, this is not a sponsored post. I just had a wonderful time and wanted to share more of my experience. Let me know if you’d like to see more posts like this!

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