Piste of heaven
meal served in an intimate and relaxed setting. On offer is a five-course set menu which changes every week, but you don’t find out what you’re going to be tucking into until the chef, Adam Bateman, personally introduces each dish at the table.
We were treated to sheep curd and walnut tartlet garnished with flowers from the valleys, pea and mint gazpacho, stone bass tartar, torched Val d’herens beef fillet with a forest pine mash, a honey pudding and one of the creamiest cheese boards I’ve been lucky enough to demolish.
All the ingredients are local and Adam picks all the flowers and herbs from the valleys himself during walks with his new puppy, Topi.
He ends every meal with a moving tribute to his talented chocolatier friend, fellow Brit Jamie Clark, who died in an avalanche in
January. Since losing his pal, Adam has been trying to perfect his old chocolate recipes so people can still enjoy his delicious creations.
All of Verbier’s culinary offerings will leave you energy to burn, but luckily there are many ways to get moving – if anything, there is too much on offer.
The Verbier Infinite
Playground
(VIP) Pass gives visitors free entry or discounts on more than 25 of the town’s top activities and attractions, and you’ll struggle to fit everything in.
On offer to anyone staying at least one night in the region – I stayed at the recently refurbished four-star Hotel de Verbier – and paying the tourist tax of £1.20 per night, it also gives you unlimited access to the mountain lifts and free trips on the bus.
But if you’re after something a bit more relaxed you can try a cookery class, do mountain yoga, swimming or learn about the area’s history on a guided tour – such as hunting for lunch on a gourmet wild plant foraging trip.
During the two-hour walk, our guide Cherries shared some of her extensive knowledge of the valley’s plants, flowers and herbs, with the
chance of tasting the unexpected flavours of some of the blossoms covering the hilltops.
Once you’ve collected a bag full of colourful treats, it’s time to sit down and enjoy the fruits of your labour with a chocolate fondue, dipping your edible flowers in the hot and gooey mess in Cafe Mont Fort in the village of Sarreyer.
With so much going on it’s easy to see why people flock to Verbier out of the ski season. But you might need more than one trip if you want to take everything in.