Montmorency Falls, Quebec
I’ve always had a fantasy about living on an island. I wanted to live somewhere far away but still close enough to visit the city should I choose to. I know this isn’t really a possibility since I live in the heart of Sydney and love my proximity to things but it also means that when I go on holiday, the chance to visit a rather special island called Île d’Orléans was awfully tempting. Île d’Orléans is known as the “Garden of Quebec” and is where what is said to be the best produce comes from. It’s a smallish island, about 37kms long by 7kms. And who knew that only 10 minutes drive out of Quebec City you would come across lush farmland, pick your own fruit and meet international award winning producers?
The weather is perfect today as it has been for our whole stay. Crossing the bridge past the Montmorency Falls waterfall that falls all year around we seem to enter another world. The greenery and pretty houses are no accident and there are many houses with white bodies and red roofs. Elyse our guide explains to us that the roofs were painted red in the past times to help find the houses through the snow storms and often animal’s blood was used to colour them!
There is farmland around the centre of the island only and the island’s main industry is agriculture. At city markets, if something comes from Île d’Orléans then that is something to note and “Île d’Orléans certified” is displayed prominently. Things made here are a little more expensive than imports from California but throughout Quebec and Montreal they like to support the local Île d’Orléans produce. It is a popular place for tourists due to its idyllic lifestyle, pleasant micro-climate (it is always a few degrees warmer here) and sees over 600,000 visitors arrive each year. There are three vineyards, maple farms, ostrich, quail and buffalo farms, fruit farms and some where you can pick your own berries.
The oldest country church in North America
We start at a chocolate shop “Chocolaterie de l’Île d’Orléans” where they make handmade chocolate truffles using Callebaut Belgian chocolate. They originally started off 23 years ago making Easter chocolates for the locals and a chocolates through mail order. Soon after the queues for Easter time reached down the street and they needed to move into another location.
Maple cream dark chocolate and Framboisette (Raspberry chocolate) $8.90 per 100grams
They use as many ingredients from the island as possible but they also do use other ingredients as locals like to try items from all over the world. The shop assistant gives us a Framboisette chocolate which has a whole raspberry in it along with some liqueur to preserve it. She tells us that the raspberry came from a nearby farm “just up the road”. The chocolate is absolutely divine with the luscious, slightly tart whole raspberry. She then gives us one of their maple butter chocolate which is made from maple syrup from another one of the Île d’Orléans “sugar shacks” i.e. maple farms. The contrast between the 70% dark and the creamy sweet pure maple butter is divine. No preservatives are used in the chocolates here so they all have a short shelf life. They also made other products such as a half chocolate half fruit spread in flavours such as blueberry, pear, strawberry, raspberry and maple.
Chocolate and blueberry spread
Callebaut choc dipped soft serve $4.15
We go next door to their ice cream shop where they make all of their ice cream on the premises and during Summer there are twenty flavours available. The one item I had seen a lot of people walk around with was the soft serve. I don’t like soft serve back home as it doesn’t taste like much to me but here they dip it in your choice of milk or dark Callebaut and they dip it thickly so I go for that. Mr NQN enjoys their raspberry ice cream. The Callebaut chocolate dipped soft serve is fantastic with a thick layer of real Belgian chocolate and the rimmed ice cream holder to catch any stray drips is rather genius too and helps out the OCD afflicted amongst us! 
Strawberry sherbert
The strawberry sherbert (a sorbet, not the fizzy sherbert as we know sherbert to be) is true to flavour and comes with a round patterned chocolate button-bonus!
Our next stop is a well known ciderie which called Ciderie Verger Bilodeau. Outside roams a peacock, goats and a dog. It is the island’s only organic orchard and outside they have 4,000 apple trees and they use the apples to produce apple jelly, jams, juice, cider, mustards and chocolates among other things. In another room there is a tasting room where people can pay $3 to sample up to 40 products. There is also a small coffee shop out the back. We try some products and they are delicious, particular the rillettes and the maple apple jelly and onion and maple jam. These are so easy to eat just by the spoonful.
Tasting Room
The special small carafe on top of the bottle
There are five wines including an ice wine where ice is made from apples that have frozen on the wine. On top of a bottle is a small carafe which keeps the wine aerated. The duck rillettes, terrine and confits are $10.99 and we fall in love with the combination of the duck and blackberry confit and the le Diablotin wine.
Rillettes and confit
Strawberry roadside stand
We do a quick stop for some Île d’Orléans strawberries from a road side stand. There are strawberries and raspberries here sold by the litre and a 3.5 litre basket of strawberries goes for $7.50, a 1.5 litre for $5.50 and a 1 litre for $3.50. We’re sold! And how cute are the baskets?
Our last stop of the day is at Cassis Monna & Filles who are an international award winners for the Cassis de Creme. They are a family of liquoristes which are now spearheaded by two sisters who have taken over the family business. The restaurant La Monnaguette to the side of the cellar has got to have one of the best views from the whole of the Île d’Orléans and the menu features a hint of blackcurrant is every dish. The blackcurrants that are used are from an imported variety from France which are different from the wild blackcurrants that grow native on the island.
We try some of their products including one that they use in a sangria, one that can be used a digestive and is similar to the port but the creme de cassis, which won the Gold medal in the International competition (all liqueurs category) is absolutely divine. It can be used in a Kir Royale with Champagne and we snap up a bottle of it to go (although sadly the delicate bottle doesn’t quite make the flight home-if you buy it, hand carry it!).
So tell me Dear Reader, have you ever had fantasies of living on an island?
NQN travelled and explored Canada as a guest of Tourism Canada.
Chocolaterie de I’Île d’Orléans
150, Chemin du Bont de Île Saint Petronille, Île d’Orléans, Quebec, Canada
Tel: +1 (418) 828 2250
Ciderie Verger Bilodeau
2200, Chemin Royale, Saint Pierre, Île d’Orléans, Quebec, Canada
Tel: +1 (418) 828 9316
Cassis Monna & Filles
721, Chemin Royal, Saint Pierre, Île d’Orléans, Quebec, Canada
Tel: +1 (418) 828 2525
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33 Comments | Add your own
Boy, I AM living on an island and get off it as often as possible. (Beware: island fever)
However, I could happily live on Santorini in Greece from April to November every year, and have fantasised about that since I first visited in 2007 (even to the point of contacting a real estate agent)…
I’m like you, I’m not that impressed by soft serve unless it’s special. There was a place in Flordia that had soft serve PB ice cream…oh sweet wounded wuffles.
A desserted island seems like a good idea at times – but I think I would miss my creature comforts. I have a friend who lives “on the river” – and I think the reality of getting in and out in all kids of weather would become tiresome after a while!!!
Sounds like a magical visit you had to your island though!!
Another drool worthy post indeed!
You know….I believe there are quite a few small islands in and around Sydney Harbour.
That must be everyones fantasy, my deserted island looks like the Bahama’s though… except obviously deserted
The food looks fantastic!
I love Canadian Ice Wine
What a lovely place. And I could eat myself silly there – wonderful food. Although I hate the cold, so I gues this place would be out in winter …
Yes! A tropical island… but since reading Anne of Green Gables Prince Edward Island sounds wonderful too!
Canada sounds so amazing! I would live on an island any day, I would love to go back to basics.
Callebaut chocolates are divine! Anytime we are in a city with one of Callebauts shops we indulge! Try their hot chocolates and enter a state of bliss.
And you just can’t beat fresh berries.
Looks like you had an enjoyable day.
That chocolate dipped soft serve looks fantastic.. *drools*
I don’t think I could live on an island, but I would love to spend some time on Sardinia. This place looks lovley – lucky you, again.
Could VERY easily do!
Reflection of how people, things are in the world too!
Always IMAGINE being greeted by Mr Rourke and tatoo EVERY day,
Thanks for today’s blog as would be a reminder my nose would show me places to visit on MY island along the way!
Oh, how I love your travel posts! Particularly when they’re populated with chocolate and sweet things
Hmm… well we both live on an island already, don’t we?
Great post! I have just finished eating my late night sweet snack and these choco delights have made me hungry again!
Oooh yummy … I especially loved the look of the Maple Leaf chocolate. I think it would be worth the airfare just to taste them!
I miss Island living so much- I’ll head back there one day though. Also v jealous of your trip, it looks amazing!
Yep, sure have – I’ve often thought I could live on an island until I go somewhere and my mobile phone doesn’t work and there’s no internet service and I totally rethink the idea
But, a girl can have her dreams.
England is kind of an island, but today its -10 degrees and I want to be anywhere but here, so I must specify that it would have to be a TROPICAL island. A place with coconuts and monkeys. A place where its okay for a naughty housewife to swipe a delicious ice cream out of one NQN’s hands
… you see where this is going daaaaahling?
*kisses* HH
I could live on an island but would have to go back and forth as I couldn’t survive without my mod cons.
Love your post Lorraine, all the food looks so inviting, I heart fresh produce
I have always wanted to visit Quebec after having a pen pal there when I was at school for French class. I used to write to her in French and she wrote to me in English. I remember her English was SO much better than my French!
A friend of mine spent summers in a giant house on an private island in the St Lawrence seaway. I always thought it sounded like the most idyllic place on the planet and plane to give it a look one of these days… I think Ile d’Orleans sounds like it has so many wonderful things to eat and do… and easier to visit… thanks for the tour!
Ah Quebec, one of the most beautiful places on this planet.
It’s always been one of my dreams too. The idea of being hidden away, but close enough to civilization if I wanted.
What a shame the bottle broke! I hope it didn’t ruin everything else in your bag as well.
we have been to Quebec twice and am kicking myself that we did not go there, all the produce looks wonderful. Seeing the berries in the baskets brings back great memories of summer in Canada (and how cheap they are! compared to here)
fact: i don’t like sand. so no, i don’t think a piece of land surrounded by water and sandy shore would be for me.
loving the chocolate (and maple-flavored anything)!
I love this post, I think I’ll post up some of my travel pictures as well.
Reading your blog gives me motivation haha…
I have thought about staying on remote islands. I especially want to go to and live on (for a while anyway) this island called Tashiro Shima (Cat Island) in Japan. It’s an island full of cats (as the name suggests). Apparently it prohibits any dogs and all the residents are fairly old (I love cats and I love old people
).
However, if I was to really live on one, I’ll definitely miss my electronics/ internet /busy city life a bit too much, so maybe just holidays.
You should go there sometime and promote tourism for the place!
The strawberry sherbet looks beautiful! And did I hear chocolate and blueberry spread? Surely that is illegal.
An Island that I love is Ortygia, in Sicily. But it is not a true Island. Apart from that, no real Island aspirations for me
I can appreciate the appeal, though!
Heidi xo
Living on an island means travelling over water at some stage.
And THAT is never gunna happen.
Who hasn’t wanted to live on an island?
But like you, i’d still want easy access to the city & conveniences!
That choc-coated ice cream looks delicious!
Those strawberries look amazing and I love anything that is dipped in chocolate and then the choc goes solid. Magic Ice was my favourite as a child. I would love to live on an island but then I think I would miss all the great cultural restaurants that you get in a city. I wouldn’t knock it back if I were offered it though!
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