I’ve never met a goat I didn’t like. Goats are just the right mix of useful and whimsy to qualify as the very best of pets. The happiest goats I have ever met are those that live at Haute Goat in Campbellford, Ontario. That’s because owners Debbie Nightingale and Shain Jaffe name, raise and love each of their Nigerian dwarf goats who name, raise and love them right back.
No, you heard right, dwarf goats! You know what that means; impossibly cute with enough of a silly side to make them completely adorable. The little kids gently jump up against so you can pick them up and have a little snuggle while they surreptitiously eat your hair.
Debbie and Shain moved to the countryside from Toronto in 2007 onto 25 acres of beautiful farmland and a gorgeous old farmhouse that looks out over the rolling hills. While they started with four goats, it’s easy to see how they now have 37.
Nigerian dwarf goats stand between 21-23-inches at the shoulder. Their milk is especially rich and holds many beneficial properties for your health. Haute Goat uses this wonderful milk to create a wonderful range of skin-care products that are so nourishing, that their customers go batty over them. From dry skin to eczema, the Haute Goat skin care range can’t be beat.
But it’s really the culinary products that I am after, and Haute Goat doesn’t disappoint. Debbie and Shain do make their own cheese, but they have called upon the talents of local culinary artisans to create some goat’s milk delights that are truly exceptional.
Three words: Goat Butter Fudge. And yes, it is as amazing as it sounds. Actually, the goat milk butter crunch is also pretty damn good. They also do an incredible range of caramel products including salted goat milk caramels and caramel corn. But wait, the very, absolute best thing in the shop is the goat cheese chocolates which are crafted by a local chocolatier and exquisitely hand painted.
If I sound like I’m getting a little carried away, it’s because I am. After the cuteness overload, the delicious edibles are enough to make you want to move right in. Which you can actually do!
Family farm retreats mean you can watch in delight as the kids shovel goat shit while eating your chocolate-dipped caramels and enjoying the excellent company of Debbie, Shain, two dogs, two cats, 37 goats, 3 horses and a flock of free range chickens in one of the most gorgeous settings in the world.
You can pop around to the shop which is open Thursday through Sunday, order online or find these wonderful products at the Wychwood Barns farmer’s market on Saturdays.
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