Chalet Apartment L’Ours Rouge

Over the past 17 years this operator has been busy refining the recipe for their catered holidays to offer a service that they believe truly outshines others, building on their key values of offering delicious food and impeccably friendly service, whilst listening to, and acting on what makes guests tick. From initial enquiry, to the morning they wave goodbye, you’ll be seamlessly and meticulously looked after by the team.

Their professional team constantly strive to serve guests some of the best chalet cuisine in the Alps. They work tirelessly to recruit experienced, qualified and most importantly, passionate chefs year on year.

Their menus are created to an exceptionally high standard, giving you a gourmet chalet experience from breakfast, afternoon tea and through to a five-course evening meal. Their chefs are more than happy to create a menu to suit your requirements, gastronomic favourites, and also offer lighter options for those who like lunching! All of their chefs have training with chefs from the Michelin-starred restaurant, Trinity, in Clapham, and they're eager to get their whites on and cook just the kind of food you love.

Their culinary story began in 2006, evolving into the food-led company they are today. With the help of some fantastic chefs over the last few years, the gastro side of their holidays have strengthened hugely. Following the success of their first cookbook and being awarded The Times Chalet Chef Award in 2010, they have since published their second cookbook: The Chalet Cook Book, in association with their Surrey based interest, The Abinger Cookery School. They have a strong relationship with esteemed Michelin Star chef and London restaurant owner, Adam Byatt, which puts them at the forefront of chalet cookery. This ever-evolving relationship is invaluable, with his input during training and time spent endorsing their menus.

Their gourmet philosophy – in their opinion a good skiing holiday isn’t complete without good food. This is why they carefully handpick restaurant chefs for all their chalets and encourage them to create menus that showcase their natural talent. At the same time, they are extremely flexible in adapting to your needs and tastes. Your chef will call you in advance to go through the finer details of likes, dislikes, special requests, allergies and children’s food. As much as some might love fine dining, they are also aware that eating five courses every night (especially after a big lunch!) might not suit everyone, and they'll happily provide lighter, more simple, two or three course meals for you. Don’t worry, they won’t be offended, just ask.

Our full catered chalet service includes:

A full-cooked breakfast spread with daily special (two out of seven mornings are continental breakfast with no chef or host present)
Afternoon tea
Homemade children’s tea
Five-course evening meal – canapés, starter, main, pudding and cheese (five evening meals are included)

They aim to deliver the perfect recipe when it comes to mixing skiing with food, so please don't hesitate to contact the us team with any questions.

A example menu:

• Breakfast Special: Waffles
• Afternoon Tea: Lemon and blueberry muffins
• Canapés: Parmesan arancini with tomato jam menu Asian pulled beef with slaw
• Supper Starter: Alsace onion tart with mixed lead and radichio salad. Orange and wholegrain mustard vinagrette
• Supper Main: Roast chicken with pomme puree, wild mushroom sauce and roast turnips. Lemon and toasted almond green beans
• Supper Dessert: Sticky gingerbread pudding with crème fraiche ice cream and brandy sauce
• Cheese: Beaufort d’été and Beaufort d’hiver with piccalilli and fresh apple

Pre-arrival

From the moment you decide to holiday they will make sure your experience is one to remember for all of the right reasons. Their Méribel based concierge team will make sure no element of your trip is left untouched: from organising ski lessons, child care, transfers, lunches or anything in between, they will point you in the right direction using only their trusted partners. Their chefs will call you pre-holiday to make sure all your dietary requirements, firm favourites, dislikes or special occasions are catered for.

All their chefs have had training from the team of Michelin starred restaurant Trinity, in Clapham, and they’re eager to get their aprons on and create just the kind of food you love, whatever your diet, to start the day and when you come off the mountain for dinner.

When you arrive

As you step from your transfer, they’ll take your luggage; make you feel at home; organise ski fitting in the chalet; have your passes ready and waiting; and if there’s time, get you up the mountain on the same day. And whatever time you arrive, there’ll be tea and cake or champagne and canapés ready and waiting for you. Fires will be lit, wine opened, and the aromas coming from the kitchen, can mean only one thing. You’re on holiday.

Breakfast

Breakfast is quite the feast! For five mornings there is a chef and host catering to your every need. On these days choose to wake up the French way with croissants, pain au chocolates or freshly baked baguettes. Or if a full English is more your thing, build it your way with eggs (how you like them), English bacon and all the trimmings. The daily changing chef’s special is not to be missed and ranges from eggs benedict to a superfood breakfast bowl. If you still have space there is porridge, granola, yoghurts and fruit as well to top you up.

On the other two mornings the only thing missing is the chef to cook you a hot breakfast but we can guarantee the rest of the breakfast options will keep you fully filled up until lunch. Of course every morning the caffeine flows freely all morning with a selection of Clipper teas and artisan coffee. And that’s you set for a day of exploring the Three Valleys!

Après & Afternoon Tea

When you have had enough, ski back to your chalets or stop by The Lodge Du Village or The Rond-Point to witness some of the resorts best après bands. Once you have finished dancing, take the short walk back to your chalet to relax those aching muscles in the hot tub or sauna after having a slice of freshly baked cake or savoury treat and a good cup of tea.

Evening Meals

After a long soak in the bath fall into your comfy chalet sofas in front of an open fire. Their experienced host will pour you a glass of sparkling or open a nice cold beer for while you taste some delicious canapés. Next up our professional chefs will take you through a delightful culinary experience of starter, mains and dessert, of course paired with their Verre Gourmand wines. To finish off the evening you will be left to sample an array of our favourite French cheeses. Round off the evening with a Nespresso coffee or a herbal tea before retiring to your very enticing bed.

House Drinks List

You definitely won’t go thirsty when staying with her! From 6pm 5 days a week they have a selection of soft drinks, spirits (gins, vodka and rum), fizz, beers, house wines and F&P stirred cocktails available to you as an aperitif. The cocktail list includes an Elderflower Bellini, Tom Collins, Negroni, and Daiquiri but we are happy for you to ask for variations with the ingredients we have in-house. On staff days off and when the team aren’t present, please help yourself to softs, beer and wine in the drinks fridge.

Wine List

This operator are proud to partner with local wine specialists, Le Verre Gourmand, to bring you a carefully curated wine list. Their list offers something for everyone with a broad range of wines of varying grape types and regions across Europe. These will be available to you from 6pm onwards 5 days a week, and on the team’s days off they will leave you a couple of your preferred bottles to enjoy. Your chef and host will pair the wine accordingly with the menu each evening, but they can be flexible so if you have a favourite then just ask!

Spirits

They have selected a British artisan brand for each spirit they deem ‘essential’ – gin, vodka and rum. These are all available by the bottle for 40 Euros. They will of course provide the necessary extras (ice, mixers and lime) and your host will prepare the drinks for you as and when you are thirsty.

Cocktails

For those of you wanting to be a little more adventurous you can take them up on their cocktail service for 60 Euros per bottle. They have selected a few of their preferred cocktail options for each spirit – you can either choose which one you would like or leave it to them to prepare one of each throughout the week.