Taves Estate Cidery continues to be one of my favourite farms to be visit, and recommend to others to visit. They consistently offer seasonal events, and therefore reasons for guests to head down and visit them throughout the year. And this is on top of all there is to see and do on their property regularly.
This past Easter I ventured their way in Abbotsford with Joyce of @monkeyeatsworld for their adult Easter egg hunt. Which is exactly as it sounds. Adults only collecting eggs, eating chocolate, and winning prizes.
Ticket holders not only got to participate in the hunt, but admission included a catered dinner, dessert, drinks, and plenty of snacks.
Attendees were encouraged to come dressed in their best Easter bonnet to win prizes, and to bring their own baskets for collecting eggs in. We didn’t have the former so came dawning bunny ears for the occasion.
We were there right when doors open, signing up for the raffle, claiming all our food stuffs, then marking our spot by one of their outdoor heat lamps. The event was rain or shine. There was no rain, but it was cold and our layers did little to warm as we were left lingering, waiting for the main event to start. So be sure to dress warmly with plenty of thermals if you too decide to visit in early spring.
Dinner was provided by the Steamwork’s food truck and included guest’s choice of tacos or burgers with fries. Joyce and I both opted for the tacos in fish and Korean fried chicken. Both over a flour tortilla, topped with slaw and pickled ginger. Have as is or finish with the help yourself squeeze bottle of spicy mayo aioli.
For drinks, having their own cidery came in handy. Event goers had a choice of a spirited or non-spirited cider flight. Although those who went with the later only had 3 samples at 0% alcohol and the 4th was a cup of ornamental foam. I went for the 5% flight and it came with samplers of their Gander’s Gooseberry, Billy’s Best Apple, Rooster’s Red Currant, and Ram’s Red Current. Each a tasty, sweet, and sparkling fruit juice. I just wished the weather was warmer to be able to enjoy the refreshing chill the ciders provided.
We would grab one of their make shift barrel high tops to have them on, as we joined the other guests in taking in the live musical stylings of Kyler Pierce and Ryan McAllister.
Desserts were courtesy of Taves, served out of their cafe hunt. Your option was either their chocolate or cheesecake, with a gluten-free and dairy free cookie Easter egg ice cream sandwich alternative. Sadly it was far to cold to enjoy the latter most, especially as they weren’t offering hot coffee or tea for sale in conjunction.
Once you have finished eating, you can buy some time before the hunt, by exploring the farm’s property. We jumped on the bouncy trampoline, raced on the go carts, and admired the poultry in their cages.
Sadly, we were left waiting for those who arrived later, as show runners were delaying the hunt in order to allow all guests to finish their dinners. And sadly the line in front of the food truck continued to grow way after 8pm, which was when the hunt was expected to start. So if attending this event in the future, I do suggest not coming right at 5:30pm like we did, but to come closer to 7pm to have the least amount of wait time.
The actual adult Easter egg hunt was done in between their now seasonally barren apple orchard. These were sectioned off rows of trees with colourful plastic eggs littered around its bases. The challenge was to get one of each colour, keeping your eye out for wooden rabbit cut outs, actual full sized chocolate bunnies, and a golden egg! All of which would be redeemed for prizes after the hunt concluded.
In short, Taves has managed to bring out the kid in all of us with their latest seasonal event. Be sure to keep your eyes open for this one the following year, and to subscribe to their news letter to ensure you get your tickets for their next fun event to come.
Taves Farm
333 Gladwin Rd, Abbotsford, BC V2S 8A7
(604) 853-3108
tavesestatecidery.com
