Chalet Balkiss

'Go Off Piste' Menu Switch Options

Back again for the 2024/2025 season, this operator is offering guests the option to go off-piste and ‘swap out’ certain elements of the catering, to something you might prefer.

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On your first night you will be welcomed to the chalet by your friendly host, who will provide you with a wealth of information about the chalet and resort, whilst you relax with a glass of wine.

You will then be invited to sit down to a delicious three-course meal, accompanied by bottled red and white wines (unlimited throughout the meal). After dinner you can enjoy coffee in the lounge.

Whether your holiday will involve first lifts and fresh tracks, or mid-morning starts and leisurely lunches, chalet staff will be up and about working hard to get your day off to the best possible start (and they'll try to be quiet – they promise!). In their Classic and Signature chalets you will enjoy a hearty breakfast with a choice of cereals, accompanied by yoghurts and fresh baguette with butter and preserves. They also offer a hot option, such as bacon and eggs, on 5 of 7 mornings during your stay.

Every afternoon you’ll return to the chalet after skiing to find a delicious afternoon tea waiting to be demolished! You’ll tuck into a range of teas, freshly brewed coffee, fresh baguette and butter, preserves and chocolate spread. Oh, and let’s not forget the freshly baked cake or biscuits of the day.

Younger guests are also well catered for and will be served a two-course children’s ‘high tea’ earlier than the adult evening meal – see example children’s menu below. To drink, the younger guests will be offered a selection of cordials, fruit juice or water. We regret we can’t supply fizzy drinks.

They also provide you with the option to pre-purchase cases of beer/lager, or a selection of upgrade premium wines (including Rosé), Prosecco or Champagne to enjoy during your stay.

Please note that the chalet kitchens are not available for guest use.

Catering overview

• Breakfast; 5 days continental breakfast with hot option; 2 days continental self-service
• Daily afternoon tea; including homemade cake or biscuits, fresh baguette and hot drinks
• 3-course evening meal; 6 nights
• House wine; bottled red and white wine, during dinner
• Children’s high tea; two courses (if required)

* All 7 night holidays will include one full day and one additional morning where the chalet host is not on shift. See below for more information about chalet host days off. Please note any short breaks of 3 or 4 nights will still include a full day off for the chalet host.

Optional extras

Upgraded Wine, Fizz and Beers: You can pre-book cases of beer and lager, or a selection of premium red and white wine, along with rosé, Prosecco and Champagne to enjoy along with the wine provided as part of your holiday.

Sample evening menus

Pea & Mint Soup
Tartiflette accompanied by a Charcuterie Platter and Fresh Salad
Chocolate Orange Truffle Torte

Caramelised Onion & Goats Cheese Tart
Moroccan Lamb Tagine with Lemon & Almond Cous Cous and Roasted Cauliflower
Rustic Apple Galette with Vanilla Ice Cream

One of our favourite things about chalet holidays is the food! We’re big fans of quality home cooking that is delicious and plentiful. Chalet hosts are not catering professionals, but they are all enthusiastic cooks who are trained to cook to a carefully pre-planned menu.

Children’s meals

As standard, children under 12 years are served their evening meal eat at an earlier time than the adult evening meal. The children’s earlier dinner will be served between 6:00pm – 6.30pm.

We have included samples from our standard children’s menu below. We would much rather children eat food that they enjoy, so if there is anything they simply won’t eat, please do let us know well in advance of arrival and we will adapt accordingly.

Home-made Chicken Goujons with Potato Wedges and Peas
Chocolate Brownie & Ice Cream

Spaghetti Bolognaise
Apple Crumble

Some parents may prefer their children to eat a small portion of the adult evening meal at the same time as the adults. We are happy to accommodate this for exclusive chalet bookings; we regret we can’t accommodate this in shared chalets.

It is not usually possible to serve a children’s menu at the same time as the adult menu. Most chalet kitchens are domestic in nature, and it simply isn’t logistically possible to produce two completely different menus at the same time. If you would like your young children to eat their evening meal with the adults in an exclusive use chalet, they will generally need to eat from the adult menu, however dishes may be simplified for them where possible.

Special dietary requests

This operator is able to cater for certain dietary requests which members of your party may have. Surcharges may apply, depending on the request.

The model of a catered chalet holiday is based on a pre-selected set menu, served to the whole chalet for the duration of your stay. This model has enabled chalet companies to keep catered chalet holidays good value for money, but help also combat legal working regulations regarding maximum working time for chalet hosts.

In recent years the chalet industry has experienced a huge increase in requests for special dietary requirements, and requests are becoming increasingly complex. This is likely due to the progressive popularity of various lifestyle choices in line with the increasing availability of alternative products in the UK and elsewhere.

Unfortunately across the French Alps, these alternative ingredients come at a much higher price compared to the UK, product availability can be unreliable, and some products are simply just not available. This operator aims to maintain the good value of their catered accommodation, therefore they have introduced a small charge where catering for particular special dietary requests is required. This charge will be €35 per person. Vegetarian alternatives will continue to be provided free of charge.

Ingredients are pre-ordered and delivered to resort well in advance of your stay. Additionally, chalet hosts are not qualified chefs and it is essential they have the time to prepare for requests that deviate from the set menu. Any dietary requests therefore must be communicated to us in writing a minimum of 4 weeks prior to your holiday. This gives the team time to prepare their menu and food ordering arrangements appropriately.

Any requests communicated after this time, or upon arrival in resort, will be subject to an additional surcharge as the resort team will have to make alternative arrangements once food orders have been placed. Late notice also means we may be unable to cater for your request, particularly on the first night of your holiday, but in some cases maybe not at all.

It is the group leader’s responsibility to inform us of any dietary requests their party may have.

Common Dietary Requests

Vegetarian

Our definition of a vegetarian is someone that eats neither fish nor meat. Please note that we do not use Quorn or other meat substitutes. Our vegetarian menu will continue to be provided free of charge, when requested at least 4 weeks in advance of arrival.

Pescatarian

Our definition of a pescatarian is someone who eats fish/seafood, but no meat. Pescatarians will be served the vegetarian menu, with the inclusion of a fish dish on one evening. Our pescatarian menu is provided free of charge, when requested at least 4 weeks in advance of arrival.

Dairy-Free

For a dairy-free diet, alternative dishes will be made for you where required, and dairy-free cake will be available for your afternoon tea. The below ingredients are available:

• Dairy-free spread
• Soya milk or oat milk
• Soya Yoghurts

The €35 fee applies to requests for a dairy-free diet.

Vegan

France is still catching up to the benefits of vegan lifestyle, and the choice of products on offer to assist us in producing vegan menu options is much more limited than you may be used to at home. We therefore do not use replacement products such as vegan meat substitutes, tofu, vegan cheese or vegan chocolate, but we can provide a hearty vegan menu for the week which predominantly consists of vegetable and legume based alternatives to the meat dishes. Please refer to the ‘Dairy-free’ information regarding our alternative products to dairy. We regret we are unable to provide vegan wine.

The €35 fee applies to requests for a vegan diet.

Gluten-Free

For those requesting a gluten-free diet, our team will use gluten-free products (for example flour, pastry and pasta) where required to create an alternative of each dish which you can enjoy. You will also have gluten-free cake available for your afternoon tea. In addition to this we can provide the following:

• Gluten-free bread
• Gluten-free croissants
• Gluten-free cereal

Please note that we cannot guarantee the availability of gluten-free sausages.

Many on a gluten-free diet still consume products that contain traces or ‘may’ contain traces of gluten (for example, soy sauce, stock cubes, sweet chilli sauce). It is therefore essential that you let us know whether your gluten-free request is due to a preference or mild intolerance, or a serious allergy, so that we know whether you do or do not consume items such as these.

The €35 fee applies to requests for a gluten-free diet.

Allergen Information

It is important to be aware that chalet hosts are not qualified catering professionals and cannot always know whether the food products used have packaged and prepared in an allergen free environment. Menus also routinely feature many common allergens such as nuts, seeds, gluten and dairy products and cannot guarantee there will be no cross contamination.

Additionally, please be aware that guests are welcome to bring food items of their own into the chalet; we therefore cannot guarantee that other guests will not have allergen-containing food items in their rooms or other areas of the chalet. As a result, we cannot and do not guarantee the avoidance of specified ingredients and in particular we are unable to cater for any airborne allergies. We cannot accept liability in the event of any dissatisfaction with special dietary arrangements, including the occurrence of an allergic reaction.

If you or one of your party have any allergies, please speak to us prior to booking.

Chalet host day off

Chalet hosts have two days off per week as per French working regulations. This is usually one full day, one morning, and one evening off per week. Prior to departing on the evening before their two mornings off, a self-service breakfast will be laid out. Early in the morning, fresh bread will be delivered to your chalet. Afternoon tea will have been made for you and will be available when you return from skiing in the afternoon.

The evening of the full day off is a great opportunity to try out one of the excellent local restaurants; our resort team will be happy to provide recommendations and make a reservation on your behalf. Our chalet host teams work on a rota system to allow us to continue to cater 6 nights per week, so you may at times have a different chalet host catering your meal service.