Fairburn Farm Culinary Retreat & Guesthouse proprietor Mara Jernigan with fresh Cowichan Valley
produce from the property’s garden. The farm also produces authentic buffalo mozzarella cheese.

Stay
At the end of a winding country road lies the charming, century-old Fairburn Farm (3310 Jackson Rd., Duncan, 250-746-4637, fairburnfarm.bc.ca). Stay in the wood-panelled guest rooms while you attend a five-day culinary boot camp with chef Mara Jernigan, or come in summer for the six-course Sunday lunches on the farmhouse’s wide verandah. insider tip Fairburn Farm is home to a herd of water buffalo, which are milked to produce an authentic Island-made buffalo mozzarella that is the finest you’ll taste in Canada.

Eat
After browsing the shops along the water in Cowichan Bay Village, pick up a picnic lunch from True Grain Bread (1725 Cowichan Bay Rd., Cowichan Bay, 250-746-7664, truegrain.ca) and Hilary’s Artisan Cheese (1737 Cowichan Bay Rd., Cowichan Bay, 250-748-5992, hilaryscheese.com) to eat dockside. Try bakery-milled Red Fife Wheat bread paired with small-batch Valley Blue cheese from Hilary’s. insider tip Cowichan Bay Village has just been named North America’s first "Slow City," a designation awarded for criteria such as encouraging local food and artisanal products.

The dinner menu at the Amusé Bistro (1753 Shawnigan Mill Bay Rd., Shawnigan Lake, 250-743-3667, amusebistro.com) proudly lists its local food producers, making it a true field-to-table experience. Co-owner Leah Bellerive and chef Bradford Boisvert live just steps from the bijou restaurant and bring some of the vegetables from their own garden. insider tip Sit on the Bistro’s charming patio (complete with wispy curtains, candles and lovely landscaping) and order pan-seared Qualicum Bay scallops with a grainy mustard risotto gateau.

Sip
The self-described purists at Venturi-Schulze Vineyards (4235 Vineyard Rd., Cobble Hill, 250-743-5630, venturischulze.com) grow their grapes on their valley estate without irrigation, herbicides or pesticides. Toast with their 2006 Brut Naturel at your next celebration, or cap off a meal with the sweet and smoky 2006 Brandenburg No. 3. insider tip Venturi-Schulze also makes wonderful balsamic vinegar in custom-made wood barrels and a lemony verjus, an unfermented grape juice made from unripe fruit that is a tart, savoury cooking seasoning.

Located on sunny Mount Prevost overlooking Duncan, Averill Creek Vineyard (6552 North Rd., Duncan, 250-709-9986, averillcreek.ca) was founded by physician-turned-winemaker Andy Johnston, whose hands-on work has produced award-winning reds like the 2006 Pinot Noir and the 2007 Prevost. insider tip The vineyard has a licensed patio, so bring your own picnic and buy a bottle of wine after your tasting for a decadent lunch.

The Cowichan Valley isn’t just about wineries: the Merridale Estate Cidery (1230 Merridale Rd., Cobble Hill, 250-743-4293, merridalecider.com) offers tastings of its English-style apple ciders and eaux de vie as well as self-guided tours of the orchard and ciderhouse. insider tip Relax with a massage, manicure or other spa treatment in the Cidery’s own authentic yurt.

Getting There
Take a ferry from Vancouver (bcferries.com) to Victoria or Nanaimo or fly into either airport on Air Canada Jazz (aircanada.com). Speediest is a float plane (harbour-air.com, westcoastair.com) from downtown Vancouver to Victoria or Nanaimo. wl

For more information, visit Tourism British Columbia at HelloBC.com and Tourism Cowichan at cowichan.bc.ca.