Family ski holiday meal plan with kids

Resorts such as Val Thorens and Tignes are aiming to open on November 21 this year, and families are booking the Christmas and February holiday weeks now. With children, the food plan matters as much as the lift pass: tired, hungry kids on a cold slope end a ski day fast. Here is how to plan a week of family meals in a chalet or apartment.

Build the day around the kids’ rhythm

A family ski day doesn’t follow adult hours. Ski school often starts early, little ones need a snack mid-morning, lunch may happen on the slope or back at the apartment, and everyone is starving by four. Plan five food moments, not three meals: breakfast, a mid-morning snack, lunch, an after-ski snack and an early dinner.

Breakfast that lasts until lunch

• •Something warm: porridge, eggs, or hot chocolate with bread and butter.
• •Prepare what you can the night before (porridge oats, bread, fruit cut up) so the morning rush is only about boots and gloves.
• •Give kids time to actually eat: a breakfast skipped at 8 am becomes a meltdown at 10.

Snacks for the slope and ski school

Pockets are small and fingers are cold, so choose snacks that are easy to open with gloves on and don’t crush or freeze:

• •Cereal bars, dried fruit, crackers, small pieces of cheese.
• •A flask of warm water or hot chocolate for the youngest at the lunch break.
• •One labelled snack bag per child, packed the night before, ready to hand to ski school.

The après-ski goûter

The moment the boots come off is the hungriest of the day. Have a goûter ready as soon as you get back: crêpes, a cake baked on the first evening, bread with jam or chocolate, fruit and a hot drink. It buys time to shower everyone before dinner.

Early, easy dinners

Children ski better after a good night, so plan dinners that are on the table by 6.30 or 7 pm and take little effort after a day outside:

1. Pasta with a sauce made in a big batch on day one.
2. A one-pot stew or chili prepared in the morning.
3. A raclette or fondue night that kids love, with plain options for fussy eaters.
4. A pizza or crêpe night where everyone builds their own.
5. One night at a restaurant, booked early in holiday weeks.

Shop smart for a family week

Resort supermarkets are small, busy on arrival day and often more expensive. Bring the heavy, non-perishable basics from home or order a grocery delivery to the apartment, buy fresh food at the resort, and keep a list of every child’s allergies or dislikes so nobody cooks a dinner half the table won’t eat.