PHOTO: SHERRI TELENKO Day Tripper Story and photos by Sherri Telenko Asmall Ontario town with an extensive rural history, Ingersoll would like to see Canada reduce its dependency on foreign cheese. Okay, not really, but if you are talking cheese in Ontario, this town tops the list. Ingersoll is the cheese capital of Southern Ontario, is home to a Cheese and Agricultural Museum, and was the first cheese production community in Upper Canada. Ingersoll is part of Oxford County, located midway between Toronto and Windsor,along both Highways 401.The county calls itself the Dairy Capital of Canada and in 1840 James Harris opened a cheese production facility in Ingersoll. Between 1860 and 1920, Harris’s company was joined by 98 similar facilities located throughout the county. Today, the Harris family estate home has been converted to the Elm Hurst Inn and Country Spa (800 561- 5321; www.elmhurstinn.com), 415 Harris Street, arguably the main reason visitors head west for the weekend to enjoy the comfortably cosy rural ways of Ingersoll. Most of PHOTO: SHERRI TELENKO
Daytripper
March/April 2009 • 59 • Fifty-Five Plus Magazine
Ingersoll
Showing the best of what this region has to offer
Artist Shane Norrie the interesting parts of this small town are outside its central core, so prepare for a drive in the country. Built in 1872, before sprawling estate homes were common,The Elm Hurst Inn is best photographed from an aerial view above the 32 acres of trees that surround it.The white, stately property, added to since the Harris days, is a magnet for wedding receptions, corporate retreats, girlfriend spa getaways, group cooking classes, and, of course, anniversary dinners in any one of the main house’s nine dining rooms.The inn offers just about any package imaginable — along with evening entertainment such as Murder Mystery Dinners and Eagles, CCR, and Rolling Stones tribute shows — to attract overnight guests away from city congestion and into country charm. The restaurant (open even to those not staying at the inn) is run by Executive Chef Michael Davies. He prepares daily specials based on seasonal produce and the meat available from local producers and suppliers. He also keeps
