Our Catered Chalet Service | Our Food
Food is a pretty significant part of a catered chalet holiday and so it has to be right! In striving to hit the spot with our menus we have always rejected overly fancy cuisine, seeking instead to provide ample portions of high quality honest food that has been cooked from scratch with enthusiasm and skill.
Local Produce
Local produce is important for two reasons; firstly there seems no point in clocking up food miles when most people enjoy sampling local produce on holiday, and secondly, it tastes better! This part of France is blessed with some of the most delicious products and to serve British cheddar or Argentinian wine would be nonsensical!
Local Talent
We've had some fabulous Chalet Cooks over the years, and our regular guests will have fond memories of many of them. Employing UK cooks on a working visa is a risky business nowadays as the post-Brexit paperwork just takes far too long and there is no room for error. We have instead decided to partner with some wonderful local chefs based right here in the Portes du Soleil to deliver our catered weeks this season, and they will work alongside our own dedicated Ski Gathering hosts to make sure that you have the best possible time both on the slopes and at the table! The ethos hasn't changed though as Sylvie is still in close contact with our chosen chefs and menus are planned meticulously in collaboration over the autumn months.
Dietary
We are confident that you will love our food but if you have any dietary needs or simply dislike anything just let us know and we will do our best to adapt the menus. We have an experienced crew but they are working in what are effectively domestic kitchens with a limit to the number of variations they can produce in the time and space available. We regularly cater for vegetarians, gluten free diets and a range of allergies but if you are in any doubt just get in touch to see if we can work with your specific dietary needs.
For any last-minute changes not communicated until after you arrive in resort we reserve the right to charge an admin fee to cover additional time spent shopping for ingredients.
Check out the sections below for a comparison of the different offerings in Chalet Chery des Meuniers (our long-standing home for The Ski Gathering) and Chez Claude (the home of our more recently added Budget Ski Gathering holidays).
In both chalets we serve breakfast from 8am until 9am, afternoon tea is available (self-service) from 3pm and evening meals are served at either 7pm or 7.30pm depending on the time of season. If you don't make these timings, either through sleeping in late or enjoying the après ski in town, that's no problem. It's your holiday after all and we will simply leave some food for you to help yourself later!
Breakfast
Our wide-ranging continental buffet breakfast forms the backbone of our morning offerings in both chalets with cheeses, hams and jams to top the delicious fresh baguettes that are delivered by our favourite local bakery. You will likely wake up to the smell of filter coffee and we also have all of your staples from yoghurts and cereal to fruit juice. It wouldn't be France without croissants either!
At Chez Claude our chef will prepare porridge and eggs to order, cooked however you wish. At Chalet Chery des Meuniers we offer a daily hot special to mix things up a bit and in previous seasons these have ranged from homemade granola to bacon and cheese muffins or a breakfast frittata. In either case we won't send you out in to the snow hungry!
Afternoon Tea
In both chalets afternoon tea is left out for you to help yourself at a time to suit you, and of course there are always hot and cold drinks available too (yes we have proper tea!). The sauna may be calling, but there's always time to put your feet up for 5 minutes with a brew and a slice of lemon drizzle! It is impossible to list all of the potential cakes or biscuits here as we leave that entirely to the discretion of our chef partners, but we (mainly Andy) have tasted a lot in recent years and they are always morish! Afternoon tea is cleared away just before dinner so there's a big window of opportunity for cake!
Evening Meal
Dinner is the highlight of the chalet day and, whilst there is a difference between our regular service and that of our Budget Weeks, we are confident that you will always enjoy the delicious meals that our chef partners cook up for you.
Chalet Chery des Meuniers: We kick off a 4-course meal with a hot or cold starter. Main course and dessert follow at a nice leisurely pace whilst the bread baskets and wine carafes are replenished as often as required. Each winter we select a red and a white house wine that we believe will accompany our menus and both are free-flowing at dinner time. Should you prefer a beer with your meal we also offer good easy-drinking French lager (normally Kronenbourg). The final course of the evening meal is cheese and biscuits, served with a glass of Tawny Port.
Chez Claude: Our budget holidays include a simpler but still delicious 2 course evening meal with a main course and a dessert. These are served with free-flowing red and white wine and menus are designed to be hearty and filling. Everything is still made from scratch, and you can expect to find some chalet classics on the menu such as Tartiflette and Sticky Toffee Pudding!
In both chalets our chefs have 2 nights a week off and the evening meal is served 5 nights a week (shorter 4 and 5 night breaks will have one chalet night off). Morzine has so many excellent restaurants to choose from and our team will gladly help with table bookings. That said, feel free to put your feet up with a takeaway pizza if you prefer!
