We first got wind of the ingenious solution of home delivery last weekend, when Scone Witch posted their menu of scones and “sconewitches”. It seemed too good to be true, but they had quickly mobilized their crew of “witches” to prepare lunches and scones at their Cyrville location, and sent out drivers to all ends of the city.

Our art director, Jeff Eustace, ordered a dozen unbaked scones on Monday, March 16. They were delivered to his front door on Wednesday, March 18. He baked them up as directed and voila! A small, delicious pleasure to curb the discomfort of being cooped up.

A few days later, we heard about a unique situation at Back Forty Cheese. Their small-scale artisan cheese is largely sold through restaurants, convention centres, and independent cheese boutiques, so they are really feeling the closures and cancellations. Because the cheese has a specific shelf life, it will expire and go to waste if not consumed. As of March 16, they had over 1,000 kg of delicious soft and natural-rind cheese waiting to be eaten. If the cheese goes to waste, the loss of income could destroy the local cheese shop and bring instability to the family farms that supply Back Forty.

The team from Back Forty is collecting cheese orders now. Try their rich, pungent Ompah, made with ewe’s milk, or their Calabogie Blue, a unique cheese made with raw water buffalo milk. Order by March 23 for delivery to Ottawa on March 25. For full ordering details visit their website.

In the past week, many local businesses have figured out a way to operate and connect with their customers in new ways. There’s a growing list of shops and services in Westboro that are adapting to the situation. A group of much-loved restaurants are offering home delivery under the network Love Local Delivery. As we sit around looking for things to do — and things to consume — why not make the time more meaningful by exploring our amazing local food scene?

And if you know a local business that’s in a bind and needs to connect with the community let us know by emailing feedbackottawa@stjoseph.com