About | Blueberries & Polar Bears Cookbooks

Meet the Authors

For over 50 years, Helen Webber and Marie Woolsey have been cooking and baking for the guests at Webber’s Lodges and Churchill Wild in northern Manitoba, Canada. The delicious recipes found in their nine cookbooks have all been practically tested and tweaked to perfection through feedback from lodge guests, family and friends, and only the best recipes have made it into the cookbooks.

Each book also includes stories of northern adventure, jokes and other trivia. It is Helen and Marie’s wish to share their love and experience of the Canadian north with everyone.

About Helen

Helen Webber was born in Churchill, Manitoba, to one of the first non-aboriginal families to settle in the area. Her husband, Doug, came to Churchill with the Navy, fell in love with the wilderness, and soon established Dymond Lake Air Services and Dymond Lake Outfitters.

The construction of two lodges soon followed, with Dymond Lake Lodge being built on Hudson Bay northwest of Churchill, and North Knife Lake Lodge, Manitoba’s first 5-Star fishing lodge, being built in north central Manitoba. Helen was totally involved in all projects, but her claim to fame is that she has been providing incredible meals at the northern Lodges for over 50 years.

The family cooking tradition also continues through Helen’s daughter Jeanne Reimer and her husband Mike, who founded Churchill Wild. The latter company offers the world’s only walking tours with polar bears at remote fly-in lodges on the Hudson Bay coast that now include Seal River Heritage Lodge, Nanuk Polar Bear Lodge and Dymond Lake Ecolodge.

About Marie

Born in Dundas, Ontario, Marie also felt the call of the wild. She married Gary, an Anglican priest-pilot, who whisked her off to remote communities in Northern Ontario and Manitoba. Very shortly after moving to Churchill, the Webbers and the Woolseys became fast friends, and from this friendship grew Marie’s involvement in the lodges.

Marie has been cooking with Helen part-time since 1980, and even though she now resides in Calgary, Alberta, you will find her at North Knife Lake Lodge every summer and at the other lodges at various times until as late as October. It has always been a team effort, each encouraging the other to experiment with new recipes in order to present their guests with the finest cuisine.

What sets Helen and Marie apart from other cookbook authors?

It has to be their love of the outdoors. Truly northerners and truly Canadian, you might catch Helen and Marie out fishing on a quiet afternoon, picking their year’s supply of berries on the tundra, or relaxing to the sounds of geese flying over, listening to their calls, and to the the pure sounds of wings pushing air. Nature has always been their first language.

About the Cookbooks

Full Range of Recipes, From Imaginative Appetizers to Seductive Desserts

Webber’s Lodges in Northern Manitoba have an international reputation for fabulous food. Naturalists, fishermen and hunters return time after time to enjoy the splendid scenery and the idyllic atmosphere of these fly-in northern camps, but most of all they rave about the great food.

Recipes for moose, goose and things that swim introduce this comprehensive cooking collection. There are also outrageously good recipes for the breakfasts, brunches, snacks and dinners served at the lodges.

The recipes included are developed for easy preparation, using good, basic ingredients, which acknowledges the fact that the corner store is a boat or plane trip away. These are delicious recipes that you can make and enjoy every day.

A delightful collection of northern anecdotes, stories and humor enhances the adventuresome spirit and the wonderful flavors of these cookbooks. Whether you’re a cook, a collector, or simply enjoy reading a good cookbook, these are a must for your collection.