Holly and I were very excited last week.   Not only were we going to have a catch up having not seen each other for a few weeks (she being in Alderney and me in Devon) - we were heading to Meribel to watch an old friend say ‘I do’!

It was a flying visit, lots of catching up for the girls - climbing and golf for the boys culminating in Mischa and Jamie’s fantastic wedding.  The bride looked radiant, the groom VERY chuffed (Del looked frightened when Holly caught the bouquet!) and we danced the night away to Bring Your Sisters.  A truly lovely few days - thank you to Mischa, Jamie and all their family.

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Vélo Tout Terrain - The Mountain Bike.  If you think skiing is scary, you have seen nothing until you have watched these competitors battle it out for the title of French Mountain Biking Champion!  The competitors come from all over France to compete in the various events, downhill, cross country, 4x and Trials (basically BMX bikes with no saddles hopping between giant rocks and wooden ramps - see the photos!).

Having walked the entire length of the downhill course I have decided that these guys are insane - throwing themselves down a mountain on a piece of metal with no snow to cushion the falls - and they do fall - I think they need their heads examining. They complete the course in around 4 minutes, and the best part is that the men, women and juniors all ride the same course - pretty hardcore for the girls! Running from the top of Plan de l’Homme all the way to the Chaudanne the course covers open ground, some pretty tight tree runs and finishes off on the Stade piste to cross the finish line.

Meribel has been far from quiet recently, with all sorts of events going on I can highly recommend a trip out here, even in the summer!  Here are some pictures of the weekend’s events and some views from the top of Tougnete - very green!

Clare   x

When the call came to ask me to make some treats for Granny’s surprise 90th birthday party the first place I turned was my F&P cookbook!  Spoff’s brownie recipe saved the day and after swapping nuts for broken digestives (one nut allergy sister and a room of 40 octo and nonogenarians!) the delicious gooey treats went down very well!

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Now summer is well under way the F&P team 2011 have scattered far and wide… With many of them in Alderney I thought I would update you with what some of the others are up to.  Lucy and Pete will be joining us again next season for a second F&P season in Meribel Village and they have sent us a quick update of their summer adventures!

Lucy’s Blog

Well I must say that leaving the Meribel bubble and coming home was quite a culture shock! Not seeing mountains every time I looked up took a while to get used to, not to mention the lack of skiing in Buckinghamshire. After managing to defer my post-grad course for another year (delaying real life as long as possible), it turns out that I will be returning to work for Fish and Pips again this winter and I am absolutely delighted. I am currently working at the Hand and Flowers in Marlow, a delicious Michelin starred pub restaurant, to save some extra cash before I embark on a once in a lifetime, month long road-trip across the USA in July! After that, who knows, but what I do know is that I’ll be counting down the days until the winter again.

Pete’s Blog

I returned back to work with Adam Simmonds at Danesfield House Hotel after coming home from Meribel which was quite strange after so long in the Alps. I can’t say it’s been as fun as Chalet Du Guide, but I was grateful to be given my job back! Although I know he doesn’t want me to ever leave, at the beginning of July I will be bidding farewell to England and flying to sunny Marbella to work as a private villa chef for a family who holiday out there for eight weeks of the year. I can’t wait to get there, although I don’t expect I will be returning with as tan due to the amount of time I’ll probably be in the kitchen! Should be a great experience though. Then, it’s back to Meribel and back to Chalet Du Guide for another season with Fish and Pips! I said I’d only do one season…..

We’re thrilled these two are coming back to work for us… Watch this space for more familiar faces next season! Here are some photos of the Meribel team to remind you who’s who.

Clare

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