Guide to hosting for the holidays in Ontario

Appetizers and savoury snacks

Elevate your holiday party appetizers platters and snacks crafted from locally sourced ingredients, showcasing the best of Ontario’s flavours and adding a special touch to your platter.

Gourmet samosas and chutney

What’s not to love about samosas? Baked or fried, these tasty Indian treats always hit the spot, especially with the right chutney. Find delicious frozen samosas ready to heat for your party like the colourful, gourmet samosas from The Samosarie in Toronto’s east end or samosas made with Ontario-grown apples at Niagara Samosa Factory.

Pair with cranberry chutney from Muskoka Lakes Farm & Winery, Muskoka chili chutney from Yummies in a Jar or caramelized onion chutney from Roothams Gourmet Preserves. For a variety of chutneys made from local ingredients in Frontenac County, look for David & Sons Fine Condiments online or at shops across Ontario.

Locations:
The Samosarie, 1904 Danforth Avenue, Toronto
Niagara Samosas Factory, 562 Central Ave, Fort Erie
Muskoka Lakes Farm and Winery, 1074 Cranberry Road, Bala and online
Yummies in a Jar, 6 Bay Street, Baysville and shop online
Roothams Gourmet Preserves, 30 Gilmour Road, Puslinch and online
David & Sons Fine Condiments, shop online

Cheese platter with compote and jelly

Create a cheese platter that showcases the best Ontario-made cheeses from every corner of the province. You’ll want to include Hamilton’s Udder Way Artisan Cheese Co., a winner at the World Cheese Awards for their traditional sheep milk cheese.

Elevate the flavours with award-winning red pepper jelly or fig, apple and walnut compote from Wildly Delicious, based in Toronto. Kitten & the Bear features small-batch jams made with locally sourced farmed fruits. 

For a greater variety of cheeses, take part in farm tours and rural culinary events across Ontario.

Locations:
Udder Way Artisan Cheese Co., 410 RR 20, Hannon
Wildly Delicious, 11 Tank House Lane, The Distillery District, Toronto
Kitten & the Bear, 1414 Dundas Street West, Toronto and online

Hummus spread and pita bread

Based in Prince Edward County, PapaGhanoush and MommaHummus make the tastiest baba ghanoush, hummus, tabouli and pita chips, perfect for your holiday gathering. Find their goods in several local stores, including Fawn Over Market and Daughters General Store, a family-owned small business providing a curated selection of local comfort foods.

Also, enjoy a variety of spreads and condiments made with local ingredients from Stasis Preserves. All products are gluten-free and non-GMO.

Locations:
Daughters General Store, 63 John Street, Kingston
Fawn Over Market, 22186 Loyalist Parkway, Carrying Place
Stasis Preserves, shop online

Jamaican patties

Toronto’s Stush Patties offers four delicious options, so there’s a patty for everyone at your party. These pair so well with the mild to hot flavours of Beko Foods Inc., an exciting line of Toronto-based, Nigerian-influenced pepper sauces.

Locations:
Stush Patties, several locations or shop online
Beko Foods Inc., shop online

Smoked trout paté and Bannock

Stock up on delicious smoked fish and spreads from Caudle’s Catch Seafood, a Kitchener-Waterloo family business with Maritime roots. Serve with fresh Bannock from Toronto’s Tea N Bannock or The Bannock Lady in Thunder Bay’s Intercity Mall.

Locations:
Caudle’s Catch, 60 Otonabee Drive, Kitchener or online
Tea N Bannock, 1294 Gerrard Street East, Toronto
The Bannock Lady, 1000 Fort William Road, Thunder Bay or email for local catering 

Cured meats and pepperettes

In addition to small-batch, artisanal sheep cheese, Secret Lands Farm produces the perfect charcuterie board lamb pepperettes and salami.

Smoked and cured summer sausage is a Mennonite specialty. Find quality summer sausage and more at The Great Canadian Meat Company in Whitby and at Kitchen Kuttings in Elmira or the St. Jacobs Market.

Locations: 
Secret Lands, 733792 West Back Line RR2, Proton Station
The Great Canadian Meat Company, 1390 Hopkins Street, Whitby
Kitchen Kuttings, 42 Arthur Street South, Elmira

Beverages to celebrate

From soothing teas and aromatic coffees to wines, beers and ciders, make sure your holiday party drinks cart is full and your guests are well hydrated. This season, raise a toast to innovative beverage-makers in Ontario who are stepping up and giving back.

Non-alcoholic drinks

A selection of non-alcoholic options is a must for your gathering. In support of First Nations Clean Water, start with FN Clean Water, sourced from natural Canadian Shield springs and filtered by the limestone and minerals of Eastern Ontario. 

Local, organic ingredients, small-batch brewing and zero-waste packages are important sustainable practices for Escarpment Kombucha, sold at Coven Market in Hamilton and Kitchener.

Harmon’s Craft Brewing, Dry Variety and NEONI also offer an award-winning line of core and seasonal non-alcoholic brews.

Locations:
FN Clean Water, shop online
Escarpment Kombucha, find local retail and delivery locations
Harmon’s Craft Brewing, shop online
Dry Variety, 1700 Hyde Park Road, London and online
NEONI, 878 Weber Street North, Waterloo and online

Wine, beer and cider

Support the season of giving by serving Dark Horse Estate Winery’s Unapologetically Sinful Red and Brash White blends, a portion of sales will go to local charities. Treat the beer lovers at your party to a pilsner, IPA or lager from Mascot Brewing. Mascot collaborates with Black Calder Brewing to support black-owned businesses and give back to the community both locally and globally.

Other fine Ontario craft breweries who have committed to projects helping people and the planet include Wellington Brewery in Guelph, Town Brewery in Whitby, Anderson Craft Ales in London and ARBRU Beer, Canada’s first off-grid, solar-powered brewery. In addition, Farmgate Ciders are made with organic or locally sourced apples without the use of pesticides or chemicals.

If you want to conveniently order delicious drinks online, The County Bounty Artisanal Soda Co. and Wild Muskoka are made with locally grown Ontario fruits.

Locations:
Dark Horse Estate Winery, 70665 B Line, Grand Bend
Mascot Brewing, 37 Advance Road, Etobicoke
Wellington Brewery, 950 Woodlawn Road West, Guelph
Town Brewery, 1632 Charles Street, Whitby
Anderson Craft Ales, 1030 Elias Street, London
ARBRU Beer, 71 Quabbin Road, Mallorytown
Farmgate Cider, 4547 Mohrs Road, Arnprior and online
The County Bounty Artisanal Soda Co., shop online
Wild Muskoka, shop online

Tea and coffee

To keep the party going late into the night or to help calm the party down, serve tea and coffee from Ontario-owned businesses. Tea Horse is an Indigenous-owned company producing a wonderful selection of wild rice tea blends based in Thunder Bay. Find herbal tea made with local ingredients at Stratford Tea Leaves.

For coffee lovers, discover the organic, fair-trade beans of Birch Bark Coffee Co. Not only does it taste good, but this cause-driven company diverts proceeds from sales to bring Certified Water Purification Systems to Indigenous communities. 

Locations:
Tea Horse, shop online
Stratford Tea Leaves, 433 Erie Street, Stratford and online
Birch Bark Coffee, find retailers across Ontario and shop online

Desserts and sweet treats

Delight your guests with a selection of Ontario-made sweet treats that will keep everyone coming back for more.

Custom cupcakes, pastries and chocolate treats

Founder, Lenore Johnson, brings her MICHELIN star training to the Kitchener bakeshop LenJo Bakes and St. Jacobs cafe, The Shed. Get your order in for specialized and adorable cupcakes. Bex Baked Goods in Six Nations is another great source for custom cupcakes in a variety of designs.

Famous for the signature Texas donuts, massive apple fritters and Muskoka berry pies, Mariposa Market is a beloved landmark in Orillia. 

Treat your guests to sustainably sourced, artisan-designed chocolate from Georgian Chocolate Co. in Severn. Handcrafted chocolates are packaged in boxes designed by local artists, with proceeds from certain products supporting the Cocoa Horizons foundation. 

 Finally, treat your guests to small-batch, hand-crafted chocolates from Raven Rising using ingredients sourced from Indigenous businesses. A portion of the proceeds support 60's Scoop, MMIWg2s, and Residential School organizations. 

Find even more goodies from gluten-free and vegan bakeries. 

Locations:
LenJo Bakes, 132 Ahrens Street West, Kitchener
Bex Baked Goods, order via email
Mariposa Market, 109 Mississauga Street East, Orillia
Georgian Chocolate Co., 3835 Campbell Road, Orillia and online
Raven Rising, 66 Cedar Street, Sudbury and online

Holiday party gifts for the host

For guests attending a holiday party, bringing thoughtful gifts for the host is a great way to express your appreciation.

From the Union Ten Distilling Co. seasonal gift boxes and the tasting kits and holiday cocktail ideas at Wolfhead Distillery to the cocktail classes at Nickel 9, give your hosts the gift of levelling up their mixology game. Explore more exceptional distilleries in Ontario.

Consider gifting your host a beautiful new piece of home decor from Penney and Co. in Port Hope or Vintage Charm in Hamilton. Find festive Christmas-themed trinkets from Just Christmas in Niagara-on-the-Lake or Tinseltown Christmas Emporium in Ottawa.

Keep the local theme going with our Ontario gift guide.

Locations:
Union Ten Distilling Co., 656 Dundas Street, London
Wolfhead Distillery, 7781 Howard Avenue, Amherstburg
Nickel 9, 90 Cawthra Avenue #100, Toronto
Penney and Co., 51 Walton Street, Port Hope and online
Vintage Charm, 162 Locke Street South, Hamilton and online
Just Christmas, 34 Queen Street, Niagara-on-the-Lake
Tinseltown Christmas Emporium, 1096 Somerset Street West, Ottawa and online

Now that you’re stocked up on food and drink for your next holiday party or get-together, create a warm and welcoming environment with festive decorations, including unique décor and a fresh Christmas Tree. Then make holiday memories together with fun games, a gift exchange, taking photos or other activities you know your friends and family will enjoy.