Tour of Cheemo's Perogy Factory

It was the day we had been waiting for; our long anticipated tour of Cheemo's perogy factory in Edmonton, and the leaden skies and drizzle did not dampen our appetite.

But I have to inform you, dear reader, that I am disappointed. Not for myself you understand - those cheddar perogies hot off the line were delicious - but for you; you poor souls that could not be there to taste them; who, due to Cheemo's restrictions on the use of cameras inside the perogy facility, will be unable to see shots of those steaming crescent-shaped doughy morsels trundling along the production line.

Perogy making, you see, is big business in Canada, and the good people at Cheemo must be ever vigilant to ensure that details of their specialist perogy-making machine does not fall into the hands of competitors such as Naleway Perogies of Winnipeg. These reporting restrictions are paramount in order for Cheemo to retain their competitive edge, and to continue making the very finest perogies, frozen. I am sworn to secrecy, I hope you can understand.

I can however bring you this shot of the potato peelers.

The potatos are mechanically peeled and then checked for quality and hand-finished.

Cheemo is Canada's largest perogy maker. Exclusively based in Edmonton, Alberta, they are one of the province's unsung manufacturing heros with a growth rate of 15% a year. Albertans eat an average of 3.3 lbs of frozen perogies every year, cheddar and potato being the top-selling variety. Frozen perogy sales in Canada are in excess of a staggering $40 million a year.

The question is: "If perogies are so good why can't you get them in England?"

It seems an obvious question. Perogies are ideal for England. Traditionally they are served with English staples such as sausage or bacon, and HP sauce provides the ideal accompliment. Moreover, they are basically potato encased in dough, good old-fashioned stodge - like chips, only healthier. And they are fast food - pan to mouth in under 10 minutes - and incredibly versatile, going with practically anything that you would normally serve with mashed, boiled, baked or chipped potatoes. So just why can't I buy frozen perogies in England? It was a question that I put to Cheemos. Basically we don't have them in England because of the cost of shipping them over there is prohibitive given that there isn't a large enough market for them. A tragedy, for me at least, and possibly for the millions of English men and women - living or as yet unborn - who will never know the tase of a good perogy.

So as not to end on a sour note I should inform you that I left the factory with six complimentary bags of perogies (two of which were my favourite 'Pizzarogies'), a perogy recipe booklet and, appropriately enough, a Cheemo's toque.