Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island Present World-Famous Seafood! – July 2011

The best seafood is fresh seafood – the four provinces that make up Atlantic Canada, New Brunswick, Newfoundland & Labrador, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island have some of the freshest seafood in the world. Think lobster, scallops, oysters and mussels. That’s because the waters offshore are clean and rich with nutrients. So, for seafood lovers, Atlantic Canada is the perfect destination.

In Nova Scotia, Halifax Seaport Farmers’ Market dates back to 1750, making it North America’s oldest market. The market’s new location at Pier 20 on the city’s waterfront provides year-round opportunities to sample fresh produce every day of the week. Take a wander through to admire the local catch and whet your appetite for lunch or dinner in one of the city’s great seafood restaurants.

In Charlottetown, the capital of Prince Edward Island, take the ‘Taste the Town’ culinary walking tour and graze on local seafood, from lobster sushi, and Island Blue mussels to Malpeque and Raspberry Point oysters. End with a sweet treat: COWS ice cream! You won’t need dinner!

In Atlantic Canada, late summer and early autumn bring festivals that celebrate the bounty of land and sea – this is a great time to visit!

The hottest ticket this autumn? A festival called Right Some Good (August 25-September 4). “Right some good” is a local expression on Cape Breton Island that means “Outstanding!” At the northern end of Nova Scotia, this 10-day food and music festival features world-class chefs, such as Atul Kochar from the UK, the first Indian chef to receive a Michelin star and a popular participant in Masterchef Goes Large.

For the first six events, base yourself at charming villages such as Baddeck, Ingonish or Dundee; for the last four events, stay in the Sydney area. Right Some Good finishes at the 18th-century Fortress of Louisbourg, where candlelit dinner will be served, prepared by France’s Christopher Coutanceau, a 2-star Michelin chef. The finale is an acoustic concert by Bruce Guthro in the chapel. Outstanding!

A favourite destination for seafood lovers is Digby, where the picturesque harbour is home to one of the worlds largest scallop fleets. In the south-western corner of the province, on the shore of the famous Bay of Fundy, they gather some of the world’s plumpest and best scallops. Each year, the community marks this heritage with the Digby Scallop Days (August 3-7): food, fun, parades and music.

Prince Edward Island is also a must for foodies. This year marks the 4th Annual PEI Fall Flavours Festival  (September 2-25), a month-long excuse to highlight local tradition as well as to feature visiting celebrity guest chefs including Corbin Tomaszeski, Mark McEwan and Lynn Crawford. The Fall Flavours Festival features more than 250 culinary and cultural events taking place in communities across Prince Edward Island in September.

Now into its 16th year is what used to be Prince Edward Island’s best-kept secret: the Prince Edward Island International Shellfish Festival (September 15-18). This festival is on the top of any gourmet’s list because it is a chance to feast with Australian celebrity chef Curtis Stone, watch culinary demonstrations, cheer on the world’s fastest oyster shuckers, compare chowders in the International Chowder Championship. Oh – and, while you listen to more great music, tuck into fresh local mussels, oysters, lobster and clams in the Festival*s biggest ever food pavilion.

If you like to cook as well as to eat, how about going to a Culinary Boot Camp? At PEI’s Culinary Institute of Canada, perhaps Canada’s leading cookery school, you can sign up for cookery courses lasting anything from a half-day to four days. Which course? It has to be Seafood 101!

Pack you bags and head out to the region with Frontier Canada’s Maritime Moments – A 14 night fly-drive holiday where you will experience the best of the Maritime Provinces of Canada. You will fly into Halifax in Nova Scotia where you will collect your car before you drive off on your adventures in New Brunswick, Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. You will be able to go whale-watching, play golf, eat well, drive easily and see the beautiful countryside of Canada’s easterly provinces. Prices from £1013 per person. For further information visit www.frontier-canada.co.uk or call 020 8776 8709.