Vegan and veggie ski holidays: No meat (or dairy) please, we’re skiing.
Good news for skiers following a plant-based diet or watching their environmental footprint as the UK’s leading package ski chalet company to France, Ski Beat adds new vegan and vegetarian ski weeks, has sourced new meat-free sausages for their cooked breakfasts, introduces a new vegan cheese board, and created new recipes incorporating tofu, nutritional yeast and paprika roast chickpeas as part of their extensive and varied, optional plant based ski chalet menus.
Ski Beat’s Sales & Marketing Director Laura Hazell says “Our vegan and vegetarian menu choices reflect our commitment to sustainability, as well as to satisfying our guests’ requirements, while other guests are free to follow menus that incorporate meat, poultry or fish, alongside plant-based ingredients. This will come as some relief to skiers taking part in Veganuary, while we also respect that many of our guests follow a plant-based diet out of compassion for animals, and for environmental concerns.”
Vegan and vegetarian skiers are encouraged to join other like-minded diners in chalets where plant-based skiing is being promoted, alongside the standard menus, with Ski Beat currently offering specific vegan weeks (although the option for alternative and plant-free dining is available in every chalet, throughout the ski season).
This season’s ski weeks with vegan guests:
9 Dec 2023: Chalet Ibex, Val Thorens
16 Dec 2023: Chalet Marmotton, Plan Peisey
27 Jan 2024: Chalet Papillon 1, la Rosiere
10 Feb 2024: Chalet Papillon 6, la Rosiere
17 Feb 2024: Chalet Papillon 1, la Rosiere
24 Feb 2024: Chalet Idylle, la Tania
2 March 2024: Chalet Cristal 5, Val d'Isere
30 March 2024: Chalet Gentiane, Peisey Vallandry, Paradiski
Ski Beat has pioneered alternative weekly menus for vegans, vegetarians, flexitarians and pescatarians since the company was established in the late 1980s. The company reports that up to 20% of their guests now request meat, nut, gluten or lactose free meals at the time of booking.
The expansion of Ski Beat’s commitment to vegan and vegetarian menus comes as leading supermarket, Sainsburys, predicts that up to 25% of the British population will be following a plant based diet by 2025, and ahead of the 10th anniversary of Veganuary in January 2024 which attracts hundreds of thousands of would-be vegans to take a 31 day meat and dairy-free pledge.
A typical plant based three course evening meal served this winter in a Ski Beat chalet could include Pea & mint soup followed by Moroccan Chickpea Casserole, Parsley CousCous, Cabbage, Cumin Roasted Carrots, and Vegan Chocolate Mousse.
Ski Beat maintain that the initiative to supplement and enhance existing plant-based menus not only satisfies guests’ requirements for following the same diets as they would do at home, but is also part of the company’s drive towards sustainability, by using seasonal produce, sourced locally where possible, and incorporating plant-based ingredients into many of their dishes.
Laura Hazell says “New generations of skiers in particular are very ecologically aware, driven by environmental and health concerns. How we grow, produce, package and transport food is vitally important, with science now recognising that diet is the single biggest way of reducing our environmental impact through responsible food choices.“
Ski Beat has recently joined forces with the environmental campaigners, Protect Our Winters, who aim to minimise the impact of winter sports and the company follows the Japanese principles of `Lean’, applying ways of minimising waste of time, energy, materials and resources and streamlining the operation accordingly.
Ski Beat’s chalet hosts attend pre-season training to prepare cooked breakfasts, afternoon tea and three course evening meals, for both meat, and non-meat eaters, sharing the same chalet. Guests are offered dietary choices at the time of booking, and where possible, Ski Beat reservations staff offer guidance to skiers, to host them in chalets where other, like-minded, skiers are staying.
This season’s ski weeks with Dairy Free guests:
16 Dec 2023: Chalet Cristal 5, Val d'Isere
6 Jan 2023: Chalet Ibex, Val Thorens
13 Jan 2024: Chalet Renard, Val Thorens
9 March 2024: Chalet Fleur de Neige, Plan Peisey
This season’s ski weeks with Gluten Free guests:
30 Dec 2023: Chalet Gramdes Alpes, La Rosiere
6 Jan 2024: Chalet Petit Mont Blanc, Peisey
20 Jan 2024: Chalet Alouette, Arc 1950
27 Jan 2024: Chalet Papillon 3, la Rosiere
24 Feb 2024: Chalet Papillon 2, la Rosiere
24 Feb 2024: Chalet Petit Mont Blanc, Peisey
16 March 2024: Chalet Papillon 6, la Rosiere
30 March 2024: Chalet Laurier, la Plagne
30 March 2024: Chalet Chamois, Plan Peisey
6 April 2024: Chalet Alisier 1, la Plagne
