If you're not willing or able to head out to Bill Wood's farm in Tatamagouche, have no fear. You…read morecan meet up with him every Saturday morning at the Halifax Farmers Market. He's downstairs and you can recognize him by that happy expression on his face. It's contagious! Once you've tasted his lamb, you'll never want any other. I personally love his homemade sausages, not to mention great cuts no matter which ones you favor. He also has free range eggs and other goodies to check out. And you won't be alone at his stand either. All the best restaurants in town buy from him.

If you are local or from out of town , this is the place to get your meats!…read moreThey have a full selection, and will cut it how you need it for recipes. Myself I always purchase the Lunenburg sausage, and some of their jerky. Poultry , lamb, beef, pork, bison, and smoked fish, they've got it! Best of all you will be supporting the locals!

I have no connection with 'GREEK'S" or even Bridgewater, I live in Barrington, but whenever I'm…read morecoming home from a trip to Halifax, or Cape Breton? I always top in to GREEK'S and buy whatever quantity of BLACK PUDDIN' they have. I also enjoy their various sausage flavours, home made bacon/hams? and their prices compare favourably with the supermarkets, but you get that 'Family business' treatment from their very pleasant and knowledgeable staff. Fresh and Flavourfull, that says it all for me folks. Give them a visit and then?? invite me to your barbecue, LoL!

I drove by this place countless times; I didn't know what i was missing!!…read moreWent in a couple of times for beef tongue (frozen). After that I tried their bacon and have never gone back to the blister packs you find at the grocery stores. I tried their steaks and will never buy steaks anywhere else ever. The hamburg is also a great buy. They are consistently great I can't say any more than that. I'll never buy any meat anywhere else! George is a great guy to deal with along with all the rest of the staff. They get 6 stars out of five-can we do that?

Best meat around, a good variety of everything. Great customer service. Will never buy meat from…read moreanywhere else!

I found out about Oulton's while poking about on the internet and made sure to drive out to Windsor…read moreto check the place out while I was in the area. When I opened the door, it was like I had stumbled into a fevered foodie dream. Practically every kind of animal protein you can name, in convenient vacuum packages - like a library of meat books arranged invitingly in glass fronted coolers. There is a staggering array of meats like elk, alligator, water buffalo and emu. THEN, behind the counter is a list of meats that they'll cut to order, including goat and mutton. There's also a decent selection of ready-made dishes like pot pies. Everything we purchased was top notch and delicious. The prices were extremely reasonable and how nice to support a family run multi-generational business that evidently cares so much about what they do.

Are you a carnivore? Do you sometimes get a craving for a piece of meat but just don't know where…read moreyou might be able to find it? Do you have this recipe you've been dieing to make but just can't figure out where you'll find that special cut? LOOK NO FURTHER. One of the joys of living in the country is that you are often forced to be a bit creative in your shopping. Not that I consider Windsor the country, but where we live, there isn't much "handy" as far as butchers or great food shops. We typically go into Bedford or Windsor for most of our grocery needs... Having a passion for food and a love for cooking, especially meat you can't imagine how excited I was when I discover Oulton's was just outside Windsor. Now, for the light hearted shopper that doesn't really need to know what that steak looked like before it was sliced and wrapped into that little packaging with a price tag, maybe you shouldn't come to Outlon's... Once you walk in through the two doors, you're left with a small army of men sporting white butcher coast, more than likely covered with blood and a knife in hand... Lets not kid ourselves, this is a "meat chop shop" after all.Honestly, I was a bit alarmed my first time; that all changed after I saw the boards on the walls with selection and prices BUT, if you want to be able to get exactly what you want, the thickness you want it without getting the feeling that you're inconveniencing the staff or leave your first born as a deposit, well this is the place for you. It's not about having this pretty decor with a nice glass showcase to choose from. Their selection is quite extensive.... Beef, veal, lamb, pork, chicken, emu, bison, wild boar, and the list goes on depending on the seasonality of the product you are looking for. Here's how it works: You go in, let them know what you want. They will then go grab the whole animal and/or partial animal (dead of course) and say: how thick? Bone on or off? etc Meat quality is impeccable, prices are great and the staff will always make you laugh. If you live in the city, take the drive, trust me you won't regret it!

I have known Vance Morse/Windy View Farm for 15 + years. I started out as a customer with my family…read moreat the old Brewery Market and followed him to the Halifax Seaport Market. One day I saw Vance at the Brewery Market and offered to help him with his huge line up. At the end Vance asked if he could pay me and I told him no as I was volunteering my time. When he got home and counted his money he noticed that he was richer than weeks before. The following Wednesday he called me and asked if I could work for him every Saturday going forward. I said yes. Move forward and you will see that I am no longer 15 years old. I have gone to College, Africa, and done so much. I am so lucky to still kept my relationship with the owner Vance. Vance and I started out as Customer, Employee, and now good friends. Windy View Farm has exceptional products, amazing customer service, and an attitude if it comes off the animal then it can be done. It is hard to get good food these days that you can trust. I am all about animals rights while letting them live for what they are on the earth to do. Provide great food for my family/community. Vance lets the animals be animals. He treats them humanly, does not inject them with all kinds of crap, and most of all lest them roam around freely. If I was to suggest two products to start your journey with him I would suggest the Centre Cut Pork Chops and his chicken. When you enter his website and see his pricing you have to remember that it is based on per pound and not a fixed price. (No different than if you go to the traditional grocery store). However, If I order the boneless skinless chicken breast I might get a better price than the website because the breast might be smaller than a pound. Keep this in mind. If you are looking for wholesale prices then you have to email him or call him. One restaurant in Halifax that uses his products is "The Foggy Goggle" and they were one of the first in Halifax to take him on. So I end you herewith, "give him a try." I don't think you will be disappointed, I know I was not. All it takes is a conversation. :)

This past weekend I went to Ironwood Farm's Pig In A Day event with Chris Velden and Rupert…read moreJannasch that was promoted on the Slow Food Nova Scotia site. The price was $25 for Slow Food members and $30 for guests. I didn't know what to expect as I'd never been to anything like this, but it was a seriously awesome time. There was a small group of us (~8 people) in an outbuilding on the farm, and Chris walked us through basic butchering of the pig, where different cuts come from, different uses for different parts, and of course talking quite a bit about the value of knowing where your food come from. Chris also showed us how to make cured meats like bacon and prosciutto, and of course sausages. The whole session took about 3-4 hours and was a really great opportunity to connect with a chef of his experience in such an intimate environment - not to mention the farmer who raised the pigs, Rupert! Rupert, was there throughout as well to talk about the challenges of farming today, and also the fun and satisfaction that can come from making good quality food locally. At one point Rupert talked about how the pigs he raised would play together in the field and run around and race him when he rode by on his four wheeler - you could tell that Rupert cares a lot about his livestock and their well-being, and you knew those pigs grew up happy. Snacks, cider and coffee were served throughout, and lunch was provided as well (Pork loin, roasted potatoes, roasted beets, sweet potato and carrot and some seriously amazing blueberry almond bars for dessert) everything (well maybe not the almonds) in the meal came from the farm, and was prepared by Chris and his wife.. and it was phenomenally good. Honestly the food was so good that I would have paid $30 just to eat there! I have to admit that for a long time I wasn't a pork fan - I always found it dry and flavourless - but that has everything to do with how the pigs are raised; you just aren't going to get excellent pork from the supermarket because in the world of mass meat production, the pigs are raised for quantity not quality. Rupert's pork is rich, flavourful, and worth every penny; the meat is so different that I can honestly say I never tasted pork until I had free range. I'm going to go next year and bring my daughter (who will be 3 next year), so she can "meet her meat" and understand where her food comes from. Parents need not worry, as unless your child is particularly sensitive, Pig In A Day isn't gruesome or scary in any way. Just a tip: Wear warm clothing and long underwear - it's chilly!