By Jim Fox Staff Writer – The Toronto Sun, 2009

A delicious adventure in dining awaits this month, featuring local foods from field to fork in Oxford County.

Oxfordlicious -- a dining promotion involving seven restaurants -- brings together chefs using seasonal and close-to-home ingredients from local farms and waterways.

"Fresh taste and full flavours are hot commodities these days," said Cathy Bingham of Tourism Oxford, adding the event has chefs working "hand-in-hand with our growers.".

For about $30 - $40, diners at participating restaurants can enjoy:

• Victorian Ingersoll cheddar and Upper Canada ale soup with sweet peppers along with skillet-roasted organic chicken breast fromage at the Elm Hurst Inn and Country Spa in Ingersoll. Featuring "country fresh nouveau cuisine," the inn is nestled in a picturesque rural setting.
• Roast turkey dinner and home-baked pies at Quehl's Restaurant in Tavistock. Specializing in "comfort food," the restaurant gets ingredients from local farmers.
• Cheddar souffle followed by lemon-thyme roasted Lake Erie pickerel with a spaghetti squash parmesan gratin, heirloom tomato puttanesca and balsamic reduction at Six Thirty Nine in Woodstock. The fine-dining spot features seasonal cuisine.
• Steak and Stilton pie with mashed potatoes and seasonal vegetables at Charles Dicken's Pub in Woodstock. It has an "English pub atmosphere" with traditional British fare and 16 beers on tap.
• Roasted red pepper soup and tequila trout en papillote with gaufrette at Clog Steak and Seafood Grille in Ingersoll. The restaurant offers casual fine dining in the 1832 "old Smith house."
• Tandoori chicken satays and rainbow trout with Creole sauce and wild rice pilaf at Niko's Eatery and Bar in Tillsonburg. This upscale eatery has become the town's "foremost dining establishment."
• Carrot-fennel soup and beef rouladen served with shiitake mushroom jus, fresh root vegetables and roasted potatoes at ODY's in Woodstock

Diners can pick up an Oxfordlicious Passport and have it stamped at the restaurants for a chance to win Via Rail passes. Visitors can also make a night or weekend of it by staying at participating B&Bs -- Simple Pleasures and Just For You, both in Thamesford, and the Oak Cottage in Burgessville.

Culinary tourism and the "100-Mile Diet," which focuses on eating local products is a popular trend.

"People are flocking to farmers markets in growing numbers, to forage for the freshest fruits, vegetables, baking, meats and cheeses," said Lorna Cassone, of the Woodstock Farmers Market.

For more on Oxfordlicious, contact oxfordlicious.com or 1-866-801-7368.

Newspaper: The Toronto Sun