LCBO Food & Drink Summer 2025

EDITOR’S NOTES

Summer in Ontario

prep for the cocktails featured in “Char Appeal” on page 43—your future self will thank you. Thinking about lunch on the grass? Our portable picnic menu (page 34) is just the thing for days when it’s too hot to cook. For a little more pickle in your life, don’t miss the Triple Dill Chicken Salad Sandwiches! Finally, with summer bestowing three long weekends upon us, we’ve got the ultimate guide to prepping and preparing so you can kick back and relax. From elevating store-bought foods to make-ahead dishes and drinks, you’ll find plenty of other tips and hacks too, starting on page 101. On the refreshment side of things, we’ve got drinks with local flavour dotted throughout the issue. In “Lager Heads” (page 109) we showcase the work of Ontario brewers and what they are doing with summer’s favourite brew. Then we turn the spotlight on our local winemakers (on page 49), sharing some of the most popular VQA wines at the LCBO and offering up a few alternatives we think you’ll love just as much. For a fun twist on frozen cocktails, try sorbet + bubbly + spirit—you’ll find three flavourful ideas (and many more) starting on page 89. Cheers to summer in Ontario! Whether at home or on the road, we hope you enjoy the best that this province has on offer all season long.

The desire to shop, buy and stay local is more prevalent than ever before, and we can safely say that Summer is the peak season for all the above. There’s a wealth of wonderful things to eat and drink that are made or grown in our own backyard, and this issue offers up plenty of ways to put them on full display. June, July and August shine a spotlight on fresh Ontario fruit; in “Pick of the Crop” (on page 76), we’ve developed recipes where you can swap in whichever fruit is at its peak of freshness. Start with our cover star, easy homemade ice cream, and move through a crisp cobbler, silky tart and a crowd-pleasing cake. One of my favourite summer rituals is the simple pleasure of that first toasted local tomato sandwich. When you’ve enjoyed a couple of those, move on to any of Christopher St. Onge’s delectable tomato recipes that capture the in-season perfection of these seasonal gems (page 82). Pickles continue to trend and, starting on page 57, we share a recipe for making your own, plus delicious ways to use them up in cocktails and food—brine and all! Ontario-grown Kirby Cucumbers are in season now and are the best choice for the best pickles. If you’re planning to vacation in your backyard this year, we’ve got your meals covered whether you’re a BBQ master or more of a picnic person. From the grill, we have family style platters (page 64) with a range of flavours and proteins that make serving a crowd a breeze. Before you turn the BBQ off, consider a little

Coming Soon Watch for the next issue of Food & Drink. Our Autumn issue will be in stores and online Wednesday, September 10.

JODY DUNN Editor, LCBO Food & Drink

@lcbofoodanddrink

lcbofoodanddrink

LCBO

PHOTOGRAPH BY JAMES TSE

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———————— SUMMER 2025