THERE’S MORE THAN INCREDIBLE CHEESE on the table at That Dutchman’s Cheese Farm. Visitors get to see how Gouda and blue cheese are made by hand from fresh local cow’s milk. They also bask in the serenity of the traditional Dutch-style farm — characterized by a residence that’s connected to the working barn — located in the community of Upper Economy, about a two-hour drive north of Halifax. With its trails, woods, streams and ponds — along with the constant chatter from dozens of farm animals, wild birds and water critters — the farm is a feast for all senses. “People come for the cheese, but they stay to walk the peaceful trails and to visit the animals,” says the farm’s owner, Margaretha van den Hoek Field. “The pigs and goats are the most popular.” Everyone loves the Highland cows, too, not to mention the ducks, geese and of course, miniature horses. Guests wander the serene trails and feed the animals along the way. That one-on-one experience with nature resonates strongly with her guests. This was the plan all along, central to her father’s vision for the family business. Her parents arrived in Canada in the early 1970s and fell in love with the landscape around the Bay of Fundy. They started That Dutchman’s Cheese Farm in 1980. Their Dragon’s Breath blue is best known today, but they started out making traditional Goudas. Margaretha’s father, Willem, passed away in 2025. He was more passionate about nature than cheese-making, she says, and he worked hard to steward natural habitats. Today, Margaretha, who has been working in the family business most of her life, runs the operation with her husband, Charles. She feels the same way her dad did. “I love bringing people in to connect with nature and with animals,” she says. “And just having that time to unwind and breathe. I think it’s really important.” And the cheese is pretty great, too.