For island souvenirs and a delightful lunch in a historic creamery-turned-restaurant, take your group to the Prince Edward Island Preserve Company. Owner Bruce MacNaughton, sometimes dressed in his Scottish kilt, enthusiastically greets motorcoaches with a brief history of the region and his company, which officially started in 1985.
“On the island, we grow some of the best fruit anywhere,” said MacNaughton. “One day, a friend handed me a jar of homemade strawberry preserves, and the light went on. So I apprenticed in Toronto to become a chef and to understand the science of food.”
MacNaughton uses no chemicals and as little sugar as possible in his products, preferring instead to incorporate the island’s fruit, such as wild blueberries and strawberries. He bottles up to 1,000 jars each day and oversees production of every jar.
The sample room overflows with people buying and tasting preserves, which can be purchased and shipped home as souvenirs. Walls are lined floor to ceiling with jams of every sort, traditional flavors to exotic combinations such as Cabernet Sauvignon jelly and raspberry champagne preserves. Few diners leave without ordering the restaurant’s signature dessert, a flaky raspberry cream cheese pie, along with a cup of tea from their extensive selection.
