Ides 53: Nellie's Cream Ale

If you’ve ever lived in a house in Toronto built before 1950, it almost certainly had a little box somewhere, usually in the kitchen with a door on the inside and a door on the outside. Until the mid 1970s, that box would be filled almost daily with milk, eggs and other dairy products. One amazing story from these days is the story of Nellie, the last milk delivery horse in Toronto. Nellie was a veteran of the milk trade, tirelessly completing her daily route for years, provided she received her afternoon treat of a whole onion and a bottle of beer.

With more and more cars on the road, Nellie finally gave way to delivery trucks and the familiar clip-clop of Nellies shoes was heard no more in the neighbourhoods she served.
We’re not sure if Nellie would have enjoyed this cream ale with her onion, but we toast ol’ Nellie and her commitment to home delivery – something we’ve come to share in these past months.