Summer is the perfect season for appreciating everything British Columbia has to offer. On long afternoons we gather around the table or relax on a picnic blanket and enjoy the perks of living in our beautiful province, be it the majestic landscape, the splendid weather, or the bounty of its rich produce. The BC Farmers’ Market Tasting Passport is the ideal tool for culinary enthusiasts who want to get out and celebrate community, connection, and great food.
On a Sunday in July, my family and I embarked on a mini culinary tour following the Surrey Tasting Passport, and we spent the day exploring Surrey’s food scene.
Elena’s Café
5630 176 St, Surrey
We began with a hearty breakfast at Elena’s Café, a cozy, family-owned spot in the heart of historic downtown Cloverdale. The space feels both intimate and inviting, with a mix of modern aesthetic – green velvet, neon signs, and marble tables – and relaxed family atmosphere. Elena’s specializes in all-day brunch offering savoury egg-centred dishes such as the Ultimate Bowl, classic eggs benedict, or avocado toast, but it also has plenty of options for those with a sweet tooth, or if you’re looking for a quick pick-me-up or a light lunch. Worth noting are their incredible printed art lattes and their scrumptiously crisp and buttery croffles (the perfect marriage of a croissant and a waffle) in four different flavours.
If time allows, take a quick stroll up flower-lined 176 Street (also known as Clover Valley Road) and explore the charming home décor and vintage shops.
The Clayton Community Market
7155 187A St, Surrey
We continued our day at the Clayton Community Market, located outside the community centre at Clayton Park. And what better place than a community hub to host local makers and farmers offering an array of seasonal ingredients from fragrant herbs, vibrant berries, and bouquets of carrots to awe-inspiring mushrooms, plump tomatoes, and velvety peaches. Artisan offerings and small-batch food products also have their place here: organic teas, sweets, candles, and handmade jewelry make perfect gifts.
The Clayton Community Market is part of The Collective Markets, an organization that celebrates and promotes BC’s talented small business owners by curating local pop-up and farmers’ markets. The Clayton Market is held every other Sunday from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm from June to October. In addition to a rotating list of vendors, you can find live music, food trucks, and fun activities for the family. One Friday night per month during the season, there is a night market featuring live music, local eats, and market vendors. And once a month through the season, the market hosts pop-ups with family fun events. Coming up: Bookish Market (August 16), Snack Crawl (August 30), Bestie Bash (September 13), Harvest Fair (September 27), Clayton Eats (October 11), and Boo! (October 25).
Honeybee Centre
7480 176 St, Surrey
After a few hours spent exploring the market and the charming community garden, chatting with the friendly vendors, and with our bags full of fresh produce for dinner, we headed to our next stop on the Tasting Passport: The Honeybee Centre, western Canada’s top commercial honey farm, country store, and educational facility focused on all things honey and pollination.
Honeybee hosts creative workshops centred on bees and pollinators, along with free family-friendly events on select dates through the summer offering hands-on activities, games, and crafts. There are hive tours and field trip visits to learn more about beekeeping and watch the bees hard at work, and the Centre can also be booked for group presentations and even birthday parties.
The quaint barn-like façade makes an inviting first impression. Inside, rows of rustic wooden shelves hold a vast selection of products made of honey, pollen, or beeswax, along with bee-inspired gifts, books, and seasonal favourites, as well as natural skincare made using bee products.
Honeybee’s operations are centred around the pollination of multiple fruit crops, producing a variety of sweet, specialty honeys that come straight from their own local hives: cranberry blossom (harvested from bees that pollinate cranberry bogs during their bloom), blueberry blossom, wildflower, and clove. You’ll also find flavoured and infused honey spreads. Don’t miss the station at the back of the store where you can try free samples of their unique seasonal honeys. After much deliberation, we settled on the wildflower honey.
At the end of our bountiful day, we had a pleasant drive back home surrounded by natural beauty and an array of farms that sell fresh produce and eggs, beckoning us to come back.
Whether you have a full day or just a few hours to wander, or are looking for a place to eat or for fresh ingredients to cook a meal, the Surrey Passport Tour is perfect for anyone who loves to support and celebrate small businesses, local food, and meaningful community connections.