From Our Editors
Three of our leading writers, Margaret MacMillan, Marjorie Harris and Anne Desjardins have come together to tell the story of how Rideau Hall has come to reflect so much that is both distinctive and excellent from across Canada.
From the Publisher
In this remarkable book - thoughtful, intimate and stunningly
illustrated with archival and original photos - three of the best
writers in their fields join with Adrienne Clarkson and John
Ralston Saul to tell the story of Canada's house in the 21st
century.
Opening wide the doors, Canada's House reveals how
Rideau Hall has reinvented itself into a place that mirrors the
varied identity, gardens and foods of the country - immensely
inspiring, alive with a vitality and distinctiveness that is Canada
today. Over the last five years, Rideau Hall has been transformed
into a place that vitally reflects Canada's unique contemporary
identity: its kitchens are now a hive of activity using indigenous
foods and wine from across the country; and its garden has been
redesigned into a true Northern Garden - a showcase for Canadian
flowers, plants and trees, and organic vegetables. It has become a
unique home that represents Canada and Canadians from
coast-to-coast.
Three of our leading writers have come together to tell the story
of how Rideau Hall has come to reflect so much that is both
distinctive and excellent from across Canada:
Margaret MacMillan, Governor-General's Literary
Award winner, contemplates the history of "home" in Canada, and the
story of the great house - the hub of the country's public life
since before Confederation - through the people who have given it
life.
Marjorie Harris, award-winning garden writer,
writes vividly on the Canadian woodland garden, the flowers and
plants, as well as the organic vegetable garden that provides the
fresh herbs and an impressive proportion of the fruits and
vegetables for both daily life and state dinners - essential
reading for all who love gardens, as well as those who aspire to
creating a Canadian garden.
Anne Desjardins, award-winning Quebec food writer,
shows how Rideau Hall has become synonymous with contemporary
Canadian cuisine, its cross-country diversity and its riches - from
the shellfish and cloudberries of the Maritimes to the cheeses of
Quebec; from the oolichan of the West coast to the teas and caribou
of the Far North; from the wines of the Okanagan to Niagara,
recognized world-wide for their excellence. With an introduction to
the country's leading food and wine producers, as well as thirty
original recipes tested for home cooks by Rideau Hall's famous Chef
Oliver Bartsch.
Throughout the book, Adrienne Clarkson and John Ralston Saul share
their experiences in helping to bring our national house - a place
that reflects Canada as diverse, bountiful, self-confident and rich
in achievement - into the 21st century.
About the Author
Margaret MacMillan is the Provost of Trinity
College and a professor of history. Her bestselling book
Paris 1919: Six Months that Changed the World won
the Samuel Johnson prize for non-fiction among others in the UK and
the US; and in Canada the 2003 Governor General's Literary Award
for Non-Fiction.
Marjorie Harris is Editor-in-Chief of
Gardening Life magazine and her column appears in The
Globe and Mail. A commentator on CBC radio and the author of
over ten gardening books, including the bestselling Seasons
of My Garden, her most recent is Botanica North
America.
Anne L. Desjardins' column appears in Quebec
City's Le Soleil. A producer of documentary series for
Radio Canada, she has won a gold medal from Toronto's Human Rights
and Race Relations Centre for La Sens de la fête. She is a
member of the International Association of Culinary Professionals
and Cuisine Canada.