Maple Dale Cheese

Maple Dale Cheese, about 10 minutes north of the 401 on higway 37, has always been one of our favourite stops on the way to the lake. A quick grilled cheese sandwich, made with aged cheddar, on whole wheat seemed like a good alternative to the fast food fare along the highway, and with few towns between here and our final destination, we considered it a great place for a pit stop. With DJ's peanut/nut allergy I am not so sure anymore. After explaining our situation to one of the workers there, I am told that the Maple Dale factory, where all of their cheese is produced, has been operating as a nut-free facility for over a year. However, with nut-laden ice-creams also served in the store, I am concerned about cross contamination. The solution? The worker offers to thoroughly wipe down the counter with hot soapy water before she prepares our sandwiches. I am also offered the bread bag to check the ingredients. We decide it's a go, and within ten minutes are sitting down to a deliciously hot and gooey grilled cheese sandwich. I am still a little nervous because we will be heading away from the nearest hostpital, which is at least a 20 minutes drive in the direction we came from, so we linger after, checking out the cheeses for sale and letting DJ stretch his legs on the grass outside. We end up leaving with a block of nine year old cheddar.

Always do you own research.