A Welcome Home wine and cheese isn't complete without a cheese board (a "welcome back" to BC from Winnipeg that Kristin hosted for me - see previous post here). We continued on with our WpgxVan theme by including a piece - the sink cutout - of my dream marble island (from our Winnipeg house we built) that served as our board. And the cheese? Well, I don't actually eat dairy so we were very lucky to be introduced to Chef Karen McAthy of Blue Heron Cheese and Zend Conscious Lounge by local foodie Erin Ireland. Karen's cheeses are entirely plant-based using a variety of nut milks and are aged to perfection - even dairy-lovers are sure to go back for more.






We featured an herbed coconut kefir, a caraway seed cashew gouda, a smoked cashew cheddar, and an almond caper garlic camembert. Dried fruit, toasted crostinis, grilled red peppers, candied nuts and roast chickpeas added colour and flavour to this beautiful faux-charcuterie board that proves you don't need meat and cheese to host a fab party.

PHOTOS: Taya Photography
CHEESE: Blue Heron Cheese
WOOD CHEESE BOARDS: Pier 1 and Homesense
CHEESE KNIVES: Crate and Barrel

Cinco de Mayo may have come and gone, but that doesn't mean you can't continue the celebrations all summer long with some Mexi-inspired cocktails! While Mondays may be best known for their friendship with margaritas, we wanted to try something a bit different and opted for a citrus-spiked mojito that is oh so delicious and refreshing. We just love the deep hue of blood orange paired with the mint - it's as eye catching as it is tasty.



We found this recipe on Chef Saavy and it is indeed a winner!