A person places slices of bread on a cutting board next to a plate with two sunny-side-up eggs, bacon, toast, tomato slices, and greens on a marble surface. Butter and more tomatoes are also visible.

Telling stories of the land and sharing its bounty

Globe Content Studio

This article is part of a series about the people who make Newfoundland and Labrador an unforgettable place to visit. Warm, welcoming, and fun-loving to the core, they create experiences that stay with you long after you’ve left. Say hello to some of the folks who’ll make you feel at home – no matter where you’re from.

A smiling woman in a light-colored shirt holds red berries in her hand while standing in a forest. She has sunglasses resting on her head and is interacting with someone out of frame.

Lauralee Ledrew leading a foraging tour. Upper Humber Settlement. Photo by Tom Cochrane.

At Lauralee Ledrew's farmstay bed and breakfast, located in the rural community of Cormack in Humber Valley, Newfoundland, there's no division between the accommodations and the natural environment.
“There’s a grey horned owl that hangs out at our place every single day,” says Lauralee. “He’s our friend. The guests see him every morning, because he’s just sitting there chilling.”
For Lauralee, hosting guests at her home is all about sharing stories of the land, its people and her own connection to it all, a rich tapestry of interwoven narrative in itself. “Who I am is an Acadian, Mi’kmaq Newfoundlander born in Cree of Fort McMurray, Alberta, who went to a Catholic school,” she says.

A green two-story house with a balcony, surrounded by trees. There’s a greenhouse, a white shed, and a dog walking on a gravel driveway under a bright blue sky with scattered clouds.

Upper Humber Settlement. Photo by Tom Cochrane.

The bed and breakfast is named after its location on the site of the Upper Humber Settlement, a post-war agricultural project initiated in the late 1940s by the government of Newfoundland (which was British dominion at the time). Ninety-six veterans were granted 50 acres of farmland apiece in the foothills of the Long Range Mountains, Lauralee explains.
“They were thrown in the woods pretty much and [told], ‘Here, produce food,’” she says. “And talk about winter and harsh conditions – in 1951, only six families over-wintered in the town. My husband’s family was one of them.”
Lauralee has family history of her own in the area, which was eventually renamed Cormack: Her grandfather, a Mi’kmaq man from Bay of Islands, bought a parcel of land that a veteran walked away from because trying to farm the land was too difficult. Lauralee's great-grandmother was a legend in the local area, tilling the land herself and operating power tools.

A woman with short brown hair smiles in a cozy kitchen, standing by a counter with a plate of breakfast food and a glass of orange juice. Wooden cabinets, a stove, and neatly stacked dishes are visible in the background.

Lauralee Ledrew preparing breakfast at Upper Humber Settlement B&B. Photo by Dru Kennedy.

This legacy continues in the Upper Humber Settlement bed and breakfast, which is founded on regenerative farming practices to improve soil health and biodiversity. Lauralee and her husband first bought the plot of land in 2012, building their home in the forest with the trees they cleared. The B&B's signature farm-to-table dinners are held in their backyard, using food grown on their land and meat from a local abattoir.
“With each of the four courses, I tell part of the story of our community,” she says. She talks about the real-life veteran and war bride who farmed the land they’re now on.
Lauralee also leads foraging experiences on the farm, using knowledge passed down from her mother and incorporating aspects of her Indigenous heritage. Sitting around the fire circle, she’ll share some of those stories, plus bannock made with her mom’s top-secret recipe. She often finds that sharing stories leads to others opening up about untold chapters of their pasts.

A woman crouches and speaks to four standing adults in a sunlit forest. The group appears to be engaged in discussion, with some holding small bags, surrounded by trees and lush undergrowth.

Upper Humber Settlement. Photo by Tom Cochrane.

“When my guests stay with me, my hope is that they’ll have an experience they relate with so much that they share an experience back with me.”
She remembers that happening with an older man who was visiting from Alberta. “He talked about how after the [Second World War], his family was so poor and had so many kids that they built a tarp and slept in the hay in between two granaries,” says Lauralee. “His son was there, and he’d never heard the story. The only reason he was telling it was because I’d told my story.”
On another occasion, a visitor began to cry when she saw the vintage knives and forks set out on the table. “Those were the utensils that her mom had in her kitchen, and this was the anniversary of her death,” she says.

Three people enjoy an outdoor meal at a table with blue cloth and flowers. Two are seated, one standing behind them, all smiling, with a greenhouse and greenery visible in the background. Plates of food and drinks are on the table.

Upper Humber Settlement. Photo by Tom Cochrane.

Storytelling is an important part of the experience at Upper Humber Settlement – like in all of Newfoundland and Labrador. Whether the stories you hear are happy, poignant, mysterious or funny, visitors are sure to go home with a couple of memorable tales to share.
Lauralee says that Newfoundland and Labrador stories fall into three categories: Tall, tangled and true.
"I think it comes with age, because my uncle's stories are really tall and tangly nowadays. I'm young still, so I've got true stories… although maybe I am a bit of a bluff," she says with a laugh.