Food | Frozen Meals, Eating Out, Buying Groceries

In-house Frozen Meals by "The Guesthouse Bistro" ~ Organic, Local & Delicious!

As a self-catering option we have dinners for two in the freezer, prepared by the fabulous Guest House Bistro from local ingredients wherever possible, and mostly (if not all) organic. All meat, including beef, pork, lamb and chicken, and eggs are organic, free-range, and raised on Denman or in the Comox Valley. Seafood is always wild and local wherever possible, and in the summer at least, and most of the vegetables are grown on Denman Island, and most of those at the Two Roads Farm.

Arriving late, & don't want to cook?

Please let us know ahead of time and we will pull your choice out of the freezer and have it ready and defrosted for you. Or at short notice, even on arrival, we can use 'defrost' on a multi-function oven and have it ready by the time you've unpacked.

$28.00 each ~ 2 hearty portions

☏ 1 (250) 702-0297

Where to Buy Groceries

Denman Island General (& Liquor) Store where you can get all the basics. It occupies one side of the "Village Square", facing the hardware store, craft gallery and Abraxas. Mon-Thurs: 8 - 6:30 | Fri: 8 - 7 | Sat: 9 - 7 | Sun & Holidays: 10 - 4
Saturday Morning Farmers' Market (seasonal), various organic farms and producers.
Two Roads Organic Farm with a year-round Roadside Farm Stand.
Corlan Vineyard and Farm, Denman Island's Gold Medal winning organic/vegan boutique winery.
Hornby Co-op on Hornby Island (which is a must visit) has just about everything you could need and a good selection of organic produce.
Weinberg's in Buckley Bay - an organic grocery next to the ferry terminal and behind the PetroCanada Station. It's an excellent place to stock up on your way to Denman Island. Weinberg's is open daily, 10-5.
Edible Island Whole Foods Market in Courtenay - Drive 20Km North to Courtenay and head for 6th Street. It's (nearly?) all organic produce. Otherwise Thrifty's is the first store you reach and the Real Canadian Superstore is five minutes on, across the river.

Farmer's Market ↕

Arrive to a full fridge! Grocery shopping, including Denman Island-grown fresh produce, is available on request. A small fee will be added to the cost of the food, depending on your requirements. This is best discussed on the phone; if you are interested please call 250-702-0297.

Eating Out on Denman

The Guesthouse Bistro - excellent homemade food, mostly organic and locally sourced (supplier of our frozen meals :) and a wonderful island atmosphere where you can find locally crafted wares and pantry staples. Watch for open mic nights, gigs and events.

7am-3pm (the kitchen closes at 2:00pm; closed Mondays)

https://www.facebook.com/GuesthouseBistroEarthclubfactory

The Guesthouse Bistro ↕

Abraxas Books, Gifts and Coffee Bar
Gourmet sandwiches, homemade baking, soup and light snacks, to eat in or take out.

Mon-Fri 8am-4pm; Sat-Sun 9 am-3pm

https://www.facebook.com/abraxasbooks88/

Abraxas ↕

Take Out Near You
Pizza, burgers, fried chicken and other classic comfort food, like poutine, and excellent french fries! Click "Order Now" on the home page to see the complete menu.

Wed-Fri noon-8.00pm / Sat-Sun 2:00-8.00pm

https://www.takeoutnearyou.com

"3 large fries" from the Take Out Near You ↕

Corlan Vineyard and Farm
Denman Island's multi-medal winning organic winery also do lunches; inside and out, on the new patio/deck.

Monday-Friday, 11 am-2pm

https://corlanvineyard.ca

Patio Dining, Corlan Vineyard ↕

The Falafel Stand (by Ima's Kitchen)
Middle Eastern street food, served from a food trailer in the heart of downtown Denman Island, located across from the General Store. Falafel in a pita, falafel salads, fried cauliflower with tahini and pine nuts, and vegan ice creams.

Fri & Sat 12-6:30; Sun 12-4

https://www.madeinimaskitchen.com/middle-eastern-inspired-bakery

The Falafel Stand, by Ima's Kitchen ↕

Our Organic / Local Food Policy

Our policy aligns with that of The Guest House Bistro who supply our frozen dinners. To us, organic certification is only what we resort to when we don't know the source directly; we believe buying organic produce that is uncertified, but local, is a much better option.
To explain, whilst local farmers and food producers might practice organic methods because they believe in it, obtaining organic certification is too expensive for most of these small-medium scale operators. Thereby the farmers who care the most about the land and the way that they farm it, are excluded by a system designed to favour large-scale agri-businesses that can afford to go through the certification process. Recognising this makes it even more important for us to support local food producers who do the right thing regardless, and being local has the added advantage that we can visit them and see for ourselves!
Plus, you can see through their websites that they all have a commitment to our wellbeing, their community; and to the environment they share with us, and not least you can tell by the quality and purity of their food that graces our tables. So if they say it's organic, we know we can trust them, and if they don't make the claim directly but provide enough information for that to be inferred, that works for us.
All animals are grass-fed, free-range, humanely raised and slaughtered.

Our Local Food Producers / Farmers

Beef ~ "Ruby Slipper Ranch", Denman Island
Cheese ~ "Natural Pastures", Courtenay
Chicken ~ "Tannadice Farms", Courtenay
Pork ~ "Ruby Slipper Ranch", Denman Island
Vegetables ~ "Two Roads Farm", Denman Island
Yogurt ~ "Tree Island Yogurt", Courtenay

In-house Frozen Meals by "The Guesthouse Bistro" ~ Organic, Local & Delicious!

Menu

Arriving late, & don't want to cook?