Before I get started, I want to welcome you to my NEW website and what better way to launch this fresh new chapter in social media than with a blog post about of my recent visit to the Township of Langley. If you follow me on stories you will see that I have been visiting Langley a lot and I have to admit I didn’t realize there was so much to do here until now. I feel kind of guilty for saying this because I actually live quite close by and didn’t even realize that there was such wealth of history, culture, farms, shops, restaurants, parks and wineries (yes!) etc. just a short drive east. During this pandemic what I have learned most importantly is to appreciate what is in front of me instead of thinking that the grass is greener on the other side. Like so many people, I have rediscovered my home (especially the backyard) and now my city; and even after this is over, we need to continue to support our local industries more than ever. So today I want to share with you some fabulous ideas for a visit or two and hopefully inspire you to go and discover what is fresh in Langley this season and beyond.
So my exploration of the Township of Langley extended actually over two weekends where one day was dedicated to shooting in the Lavender fields and wineries and the next weekend for family fun activities like an Alpaca farm! We simply couldn’t fit everything in one day but you can easily do that or simply come back over again and rediscover Langley. I have been lucky enough to head to Langley here and there especially for events, but the past two weeks in July was really eye opening on what this little Township can offer as a destination.
Full Bloom Lavender Farm
So this discovery mission for Langley began with my curiosity about Lavender. I was looking for a place to shoot some products and came upon Full Bloom Lavender Farm just about 20 minutes away from us so it was just the perfect location and who doesn’t love a Lavender farm? We are so fortunate here because Vancouver not only have tall trees, mountains and great outdoors, we also have gorgeous farm and flower fields so we don’t have to head to Provence France (well can’t anyways) for Lavender since we have it here in our own backyard.
Probably the best Lavender farm in Metro Vancouver, what I love about this family-owned farm is the variety of Lavender they have here. You can wander among rolls of shorter, taller and even white Lavender flowers- this farm is picturesque! The owner’s daughter Esther who was only 16 years old was super sweet and gave us some insight to her family farm and even told me that they make products on the farm or sourced them locally to create products like dried lavender, lavender honey, soap, lotion and even a scrunchy made of Lavender for a bad hair day how brilliant! Even though now you can’t go visit because Lavender season is over (they are only open for Lavender season which is June/July) you can always put this farm on your bucket list to visit next year.
Wineries:
I am guessing not too many people including myself before and even locally, will know that Langley is in fact Fraser Valley’s premier wine destination. I think when we mention wineries we automatically think of the Okanagan region however, Langley is also a perfect terrain to make wine so its home to many lovely wineries you can visit and they are all so close together.
Chaberton Estate Winery
If you are a wine lover I highly recommend you check out Chaberton Estate Winery for an unforgettable tasting and dining experience. Not only one of the oldest in the Fraser Valley it is also one of and largest estate wineries in B.C. Dating back to 1975, the winery founders were lovers named Claude and Inge Violet who sold their winery in France in search of a New World and decided to put their roots and mark in South Langley because the terroir (a wine term in French meaning “terrain” to describe the environmental factors that impact wine making) is similar to that of Northern France. Even though they no longer own the winery, when I heard of this “love story” in wine making it just makes each sip and swirl oh so romantic.
Now this isn’t my first time coming to Chaberton, I came last year with an electric bike tour where we biked around a few wineries in the region and Chaberton was one of them. However, this estate winery left the deepest impression on me because they boast one of the most beautiful French-styled restaurant inside called Bacchus Bistro and ever since I’ve discovered it I have been dreaming of having a meal here! With a spacious patio overlooking their gorgeous vineyard, you must pair your meal with their signature white wine the Bacchus, and I have to say it was so crisp and not too sweet and not too dry- just perfection! We ate mussels for the first time served with a delicious pesto sauce and then some lingcod and braised beef entries and potatoes (omg so good) and ended the meal with delightful desserts like lemon tart and a lavender crème brulee so fitting for the day since we were just at a Lavender Farm. To say we were stuffed in the end was an understatement we were so full but wanted to eat more. With French food even though the portions are small they are rich in flavour but I packed all my leftovers and had round two at home. They also had an amazing social distancing and covid measure which was really impressive that I want to share with you. It’s one of the restaurants I highly recommend because their safety measures were so good the servers all wore mask, the tables were very far apart and if you even move a chair it’s not allowed because it is spaced perfectly apart, the restaurant was not too busy and I see servers using sanitizers very often so I felt really safe and so will you.
Glass House Estate Winery
As you can see we had a busy day and went to another winery after Chaberton! Just down the block (seriously everything is so close to each other) is Glass House Estate Winery and literally it’s a brown glass house! They also have the prettiest picnic area and serve a mean charcuterie board in their popular patio! We just went for a tasting and really love their rose! The winery is a bit busy so make sure you go early or adhere to good social distancing measures!
Kensington Prairie Farm
From one farm to another, the next weekend was a family day where we took my daughter Adelina to Kensington Prairie Farm. From the name you probably won’t guess that it is an Alpaca farm (with some Llamas and chickens too) but it is a stunning farm with endless acres for the Alpacas to roam around in. After our fabulous throw-back diner lunch at Hilltop Café (which I will talk about later) we headed to the farm which was very close by and we were quite surprised on how neat and beautiful the farm is. Originally located in Kensington Prairie County in Surrey (where they got their name), they moved here to Langley to expand and diversified their farming. This plot of land was once a golf course, so it’s really a dream for any Alpacas to live.
It was an extremely hot sunny afternoon and we met with the owner’s daughter Dee who gave us a private tour of the farm and the Alpacas. With a private tour only once a day, it is only during this time where you can feed and pet Alpacas so if you want to throw a kids birthday it would be such a cute place to host it. Adelina was beyond ecstatic to meet these lovely creatures and in the beginning we were all a little nervous because she is usually scared of animals. However with the Alpacas it was different she wanted to feed them, pet them and laughed hysterically when they make noises. She also keeps saying “paca paca” when she got home and wants to continue watching the videos of her and the Alpacas at home. I was so happy we discovered this farm and the Alpacas were absolutely adorable. The farm also takes in rescue Llamas abandoned by owners who want like their farming license so they are doing some amazing work at Kensington Prairie. We might be heading back again to see the Alpacas and for a photo shoot so I can’t wait!
Hilltop Diner Café
As mentioned before we headed to Kensington Prairie Farm we also got to enjoy a classic Canadian style brunch at Hilltop Diner Café. I haven’t visited a diner in ages so it was incredibly nostalgic because my parents use to own one back in the day when I was a child. This diner has been in business for 68 years serving comfort food to the masses and is a bit of a local legend and I can see why. Walking into the diner is like going back in time when the ingredients are local, made from scratch and filled with love.
So for all you foodies, I think you should definitely want to order the milkshake and it’s done just as I remembered it. Adelina also had her first juice box since it came with the kid’s meal so it was really special. The food was delicious and I totally recommend you try the Hilltop Kaiser, Classic breakfast and grill cheese! Not only will the food bring you back to the past but it’s also a great way to start your day exploring Langley.
Travel Locally & Safely
For me the pandemic hasn’t affected the places I wanted to travel to because I mostly travel locally anyways. B.C has so much to offer and just Vancouver alone has countless places I haven’t explore yet so why go elsewhere? The above attractions and restaurants I recommended will make for a great day trip to visit with family or a few friends and there are also other wineries, farms and historic sites like Fort Langley which is a great place to take the kids to learn a little bit about how Canada started! So travel this summer, remember your social distancing measures and support your local farmers, shops and restaurants safely!
Thanks for reading and I hope you can visit Langley this summer!
(This trip was sponsored by Tourism Langley but opinions are all my own)
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