CLOSED FOR THE SEASON
1035 Koshlong Lake Road
Haliburton, Ontario
thelittletart at live dot ca
We are located just 8km south of Haliburton off of Gelert Road (That's only a ten minute drive from downtown!) or follow the Rail Trail.
Here at The Little Tart all of our baked goods are created from scratch and made by hand fresh daily the way home baking should be.
We take pride in everything we do from our baking to our friendly and courteous customer service. All of our recipes are tried and retried until they are our absolute best.
Visit us at The Little Tart and fall in love at first bite!
Making mouths water since 2009.

Thursday, November 19, 2015

Open for Christmas!

 

Since Thanksgiving weekend we have been asked a number of times if we will be opening for Christmas this year. We did open a couple of years ago and a couple of years before that, but had no intention of opening this year. In fact, we had begun making plans to visit family in Toronto until yesterday when we received another enthusiastic inquiry that got us to thinking and that got us to talking and that got us to deciding we will be open this year for Christmas!

We walked and talked this out today because the fact is, there is just over a month to Christmas and we have some planning to do.

We're testing the waters again and so we'll keep it short and sweet. We've decided to open December 23rd and 24th. That way your Christmas treats will be their freshest. There will be an open sign on the road.

We're going to get working on a menu which will include some of our standbys and some Christmas fare. We will not be taking orders for two reasons; 1) The menu won't be written in stone. It could change as we get closer to opening. It could change the day of. 2) Winter in Haliburton is very unpredictable and as we always tell our family; everything is weather permitting; plans change.

The tunes will be playing, the baked goods will be fresh, and the coffee will be on us! If you plan to celebrate Christmas in the Haliburton Highlands, we hope you'll make The Little Tart a part of your festivities.

To make this opening a successful one, please help us spread the word!

The more the merrier!

Thursday, October 15, 2015

Something's in the Wood Pile

Caterpillar of the species swallowtail butterfly.
So we were stacking wood and Bill came across this little critter.
It's a cutie isn't it?

Now, I could be wrong and if someone knows different please let me know, but after some online research it turns out this is a caterpillar and it is one of the species of swallowtail butterfly (possibly the Eastern Tiger Swallowtail). If you google that you'll see they are beautiful and we have seen them here.

What's neat about this caterpillar is the markings that look like eyes, aren't. Those markings are part of its defence mechanism. The head is actually just beneath what looks like it's head.
Anyhoo, we thought it was very cool and I wanted to share it with you.
Nature, eh?

Wednesday, October 14, 2015

Thank You for a Fabulous Season!


It has been such a wild ride this year. We have been absolutely overwhelmed time and time again by the outpouring of kindness and support we and our tiny pastry shop have received. This Thanksgiving, Bill and I are truly thankful for everyone who has helped us make this year a huge success; whether you have visited us here at the store or have simply told someone about The Little Tart, you keep our little mom and pop shop alive and thriving. We are so very grateful!

I hate good-byes so let's not do that.
 
Instead I'll just say we are sold out and now closed. We will open again in the spring!

Saturday, October 10, 2015

Striptease!

Psst...
Would you care to see The Little Tart's striptease?
She's sugar and spice and everything nice.

We call her Pumpkin Pie!


The Little Tart's Striptease!

Friday, October 2, 2015

2015 Haliburton County Studio Tour

The Little Tart puts the art in tart!
Travelling the country roads of the Haliburton Highlands at this time of year is like driving in a post card; the landscape explodes with colour and those of us fortunate enough to experience a cottage country autumn know exactly what I mean! It is breathtaking and if you're an artist, it's inspiring.
 
Tomorrow is the first day of the 2015 Haliburton County Studio Tour. (Saturday and Sunday from 10am - 5pm, this weekend and next.) The tour is not only a great opportunity to vi...sit the working studios of some very talented artists, but as you travel from one studio to the next, it is an opportunity to take in the stunning landscape in all its autumn splendor!
 
Bill and I are both artists. Bill paints and sketches and I work in a variety of mediums (from needlework to sculpting) . It keeps us out of trouble during the off season. As much as The Little Tart is an artisan pastry shop, we have always considered our little store a working studio; we use raw materials to create edible works of tart paying careful attention to detail.
Having said that, whether you're following the studio tour or simply exploring the county to take in the scenery, we hope during your travels, you'll consider visiting our little corner of the highlands!

Saturday, September 19, 2015

It's Complicated

Last night Bill and I watched a movie called "It's Complicated". If you haven't seen this movie, it's a romantic comedy starring Meryl Streep, Alec Baldwin, and Steve Martin. All in all, a pretty good movie; it was funny, it was romantic, it was misleading!!!

Meryl Steep's character owns a bakery. It's nice bakery. It's a big, fancy shmancy bakery with all the bells and whistles; it's a baker's dream, but for yours truly, I'm sorry to say…
… the dream was a sham. A big ole' blemish on the frosted face of baking.

Okay, so, stuff happens, yadda, yadda, until Meryl Streep and Steven Martin have smoked a joint before attending a party so, of course, they're hungry. Guess where they end up? That's all well and fine. Wouldn’t you? (Some of you have - wink, wink!) Hey, we're not complaining! Potheads make awesome customers for a business like ours!

Anyhoo, it's now the middle of the night and Meryl Streep and Steven Martin are inside the bakery and… WHOA!!!

Look at all those cakes, and cupcakes, and baked goods; decorated and piled high in the middle of the store. That stuff isn't fresh baked! Seriously, what preservatives have to be in that cake mix and frosting for it to just be sitting out all night? Do her customers know they could be purchasing day old cake? Who knows how many days old it might be? Those shelves should be empty!

I'll move on…

Meryl Streep offers to make Steve Martin anything he wants, even if it's not on the menu.
First of all, if it's not on the menu, how do you know you have all the ingredients? Say you walked in to The Little Tart after smoking a big fatty (I heard that reference in a movie once - for real.) and you ask me to make - oh, let's say - one of our delicious light and fluffy pumpkin pies. Well, I would say, "I'm sorry, but I cannot do that for you right now because I do not have the ingredients on hand, however, if you know you'll be in the Haliburton Highlands or surrounding area for Thanksgiving you might consider ordering one, but do so soon because orders have already started coming in."

Fortunately Steve Martin orders something from the menu; warm chocolate croissants. True to her word, Meryl Streep gets to work. Now, if you have never made the puff pastry needed for croissants, let me tell you, it's a LOT of work. There's a lot of rolling, and chilling, and rolling, and chilling. It is a process and it takes hours! But not for Meryl Streep. She starts off with this pre-made square of dough, gives it a quick roll with a rolling pin then runs it through a very nice, very shiny, rolling machine because, I guess, a rolling pin takes too much effort. I mean, you've probably ordered that dough pre-made off a truck, why over exert yourself?

You can do that you know? We don't. But you can! You can order pre-made, or frozen, or even par baked (that's right, that is a bakery term we learned a couple of years ago. It means the item will arrive partially baked and you just stick it in the oven and finish it.) You don't even have to know how to make the dough. You don't even have to know how to bake!
"Hey, it might be fun to open a bakery and I'll just order everything off a truck, stick it in the oven and call it fresh baked!

Really?

Really?!

It's obvious to me "It's Complicated" wasn't referring to the baking.

Ahem. Where was I?

So, after very little effort (I won't even get in to the fact that they didn't let the croissants proof before sticking them in the oven.) Meryl Streep and Steven Martin sit down to warm chocolate croissants. And there's some kissing and stuff.

Oh wait a minute… even… if it's not… on the menu… I get it now!

Dirty girl.

Sunday, September 13, 2015

Autumn Marks its Territory


A Rainy Sunday in the Haliburton Highlands
Okay, so it's a little grey, a little cold, a little rainy. But you know what? It's alright because what we are witnessing is simply autumn marking its territory. We see this push and shove between summer and autumn play out every year; autumn is ready to move in but summer isn't ready to leave. It's like watching a rerun of a sports event. You already know how it's going to end, but it's still exciting to watch.

One of the things I love about living here in the Haliburton highlands is watching the seasons change because it is so dramatic. Summer will strive to hold on; clear blue skies, blazing sunshine sparkling on clear lakes while soft breezes tickle the vast and variant greenery. But autumn has something so endearing, so magnificent; we forgive its impetuous damp and drizzle because it delights us with a dazzling display, painting our landscape in striking hues of amber and crimson. Autumn is an artist!

 Of course winter eventually gets tired of watching all this push and shove and sends in its minion clouds to drop a big heap of snow everywhere. And that's kind of cool too. Cool and cold and white and cold, and then it gets colder, and it just keeps getting colder, nipping at anything not covered by three layers of heavy winter clothing. It is still and white as far as the eye can see, the car is buried, it doesn't want to start, and the dog doesn't car how cold it is, he has to go… right now! Get out the shovel because that's the only way anyone is going anywhere today.

Suddenly this grey, rainy doesn't seem so bad, does it?

 

 

Tuesday, September 8, 2015

Thank You For Another Successful Summer!


Seven years ago we took a leap of faith; faith in ourselves, faith in everything I had learned in my mother's kitchen, and faith in you, our most valued customers. We crossed our fingers and hoped to survive here because failing wasn't an option.

Seven years later we opened our doors, as we do every year, with trepidation. What if no one comes? But you have never failed to come through for us.

In the beginning we couldn't have anticipated the response we have received from people who have supported us since before we became The Little Tart, from people who have supported us since we became The Little Tart, and everyone who has come through our door over the past seven years. It's overwhelming and you have moved me to tears more than once this summer with your enthusiasm toward our baking and the wonderful feedback we have received. It gives Bill and I a proud sense of accomplishment. 

Bill and I are grateful and privileged to have our baking be a part of your summer traditions, your celebrations, and your special times with family and friends. We are truly humbled because we know without you, this tiny little pastry shop in the middle of nowhere would never be able to survive. We do our very best to offer the best baked goods we can create, we do our best to offer friendly and courteous customer service, we do our best to make you feel welcome and make your visit a pleasant experience, but our success is really all because of you.

Thank you so very much for another fabulously successful summer. Yes, it was our very best so far!

But we're not done! Our fall season begins next weekend!

If you'll be visiting the Haliburton Highlands this fall, we hope you'll pay us a visit and we'll look forward to seeing you. If this summer was your last hurrah until next year, we wish you a safe and happy fall and winter and hope you'll be joining us next year!

Now, if you'll excuse me, I'm going to give my best friend a hug and thank him for being such a great partner (in life and in business), then I'm going to go hug my dog because he needs it!

Have a most wonderful rest of your day!
  

Thursday, May 7, 2015

Mother's Day Weekend!


It seems as though we have skipped right through spring because we have been experiencing summer temperatures here in cottage country this week.

Bill and I have been prepping today to get ready for the weekend. Tomorrow is our first Friday opening for this year. For the remainder of May will be open Friday through Sunday from 10am to 5pm (with the exception of the Victoria Day long weekend - next weekend - when we will be open from Thursday right through until Monday).

It is Mother's Day weekend! If you are in or around cottage country's Haliburton Highlands we hope you'll visit us to pick up some fresh home baking to celebrate! And perhaps you'll pick up some treats to share with your mom?

Have a great day!

Sunday, May 3, 2015

It's Spring in Cottage Country

We are finally experiencing spring here in cottage country's Haliburton Highlands! The birds are singing, the bees are buzzing, and the trees are budding.

Beginning next weekend, Mother's Day weekend, we will be adding Friday's to our weekends. The hours will stay the same: Friday through Sunday 10am - 5pm.

The following weekend, however, is the Victoria Day long weekend and for that we plan to extend our weekend from Thursday all the way through Monday!

We hope you'll be making you way to cottage country to share in this beautiful weather and while you're here, we hope you'll visit!



We're always happy to see you!
 

Saturday, April 11, 2015

Spring is in the Air! (Sort of)

 
 
 
 
 
I'm happy to say Easter weekend was a success! It has been a long quiet winter and it was nice to see familiar (and not so familiar) faces again. We're thankful to everyone who made us a part of their Easter celebrations!
 


 

It hasn't exactly been spring-like here in cottage country. When we woke this morning to a blanket of snow on the ground we were making up rhymes to coax the sun out:
 
Winter snow it's time to go
So spring can make the flowers grow.
 
That was mine. Bill has his own rhyme, but it starts with a four letter word and goes downhill from there.
 
Fortunately the sun decided to make an appearance and that has brought people out for some goodies! 
 

 
 
Every year Bill likes to update the chalkboard inside the store and today he changed the artwork. Last year's deer has given way to a moose and a loon. The picture doesn't do it justice.
 




Saturday, March 28, 2015

Opening Easter Weekend!

 
In my eagerness to open, I had announced we will be opening Easter Weekend before I checked to see what weekend Easter fell on this year. Nonetheless, we will be opening Easter Weekend (next weekend) and if you are in or around the Haliburton Highlands we hope you'll pay us a visit!
 
Have a great weekend!

Friday, March 27, 2015

Cross Legged and Yoga Posed

It has been a busy week. The Little Tart may be a tiny store, but there's always lots to do to prepare to open.

Every year we try to update the names of our products or create new slogans and sayings for our product cards. I know I've said it before (it's good to know before you get here) that Bill and I have a - what's the word? - bizzare? strange? weird? (All of the above.) sense of humor and we have a lot of fun coming up with some of the things we put on our product cards.... I guess you could say it's another way we get "jazzed up" (That's right, I gots the lingo because I'm hip with the kids today.) and excited about opening.

Hey, we may be middle aged, but we are immature.

Needless to say, we don't put "everything" we come up with on our product cards and I wont post examples, but we are aware that we sometimes push the limits. Here's the thing - as much as we want you to enjoy our baked goods (and we really want you to enjoy our baked goods), whether we're a part of your cottage country traditions or you just happened upon us while passing through, we want your visit to our store (which is also our home) to be a memorable experience that lasts long after the treats are gone.

Having said all that, let me add, that while we were working and creating our new product cards, and we were both trying to outdo one another, I was cross-legged and yoga posed. (I'm claiming that phrase, and trust me, if you're middle aged and menopausal - it's a thing.) Word.

The countdown continues...

Saturday, March 21, 2015

We're All About the Tarts!

The countdown is on here at The Little Tart as we get ready to launch our 2015 season. Bill is busy putting a fresh coat of paint on the store and I am going to tempt your taste buds.
 
We are only two weeks away from opening day and we hope you'll join us!
 
 
 

Tuesday, March 3, 2015

What's in a Name?

The Little Tart - Haliburton, Ontario 
When you're name is The Little Tart there's the double entendre and that, my friends, was not by accident.

Bill and I have often talked about what The Little Tart might look like and what you see is what we came up with. She's a little sweet treat "all that and a butter tart", but you wont be seeing her behind the counter (sorry fellas!).

It's always funny to see and hear a new customer's reaction when they walk into The Little Tart and find Bill behind the counter.

We're starting to look toward opening day which falls on Easter Weekend so please check back for future posts (I know I've neglected this blog a bit lately. I'll work on that.) and hours of operation.

We'll look forward to seeing you again as we kick off our 2015 season!