How much raclette or fondue for a group: quantities and shopping list

A raclette or fondue night is the easiest big dinner of a ski week — no cooking, everyone at the table — but only if you buy the right amounts. Too little cheese and the evening ends early; too much and you are carrying it home.

Raclette: quantities per person

• •Cheese: 200–250 g per person for hearty skiers (150 g is fine for a light eater). Pre-sliced raclette cheese saves a lot of fuss.
• •Potatoes: 300–400 g per person, firm waxy varieties that hold their shape when boiled in their skins.
• •Charcuterie: 100–150 g per person — a mix of ham, dried sausage and cured beef or pork.
• •Extras: cornichons, pickled onions and a green salad to cut the richness.

Fondue: quantities per person

• •Cheese: about 200 g per person, ideally a blend such as gruyère and vacherin or emmental.
• •Bread: 200–250 g per person, cut into cubes a day ahead — slightly stale bread stays on the fork.
• •White wine and a splash of kirsch for the pot, plus a little garlic and cornflour to keep it smooth.
• •Cured meats, pickles and boiled potatoes on the side, in smaller amounts than for raclette.

Check your equipment before you shop

A chalet rarely has a raclette grill for twelve, and a single fondue pot serves four to six at most. Check what the rental provides, then borrow or hire a second set — or plan two pots and two grills — before you buy the cheese. One grill per four to six people keeps everyone eating at the same time.

Where to buy, and when

Cheese is cheaper and better at a supermarket or dairy in the valley than in a resort shop, and it keeps well. Buy it in the main arrival shop, keep it in the fridge, and take it out about an hour before dinner so it melts properly. Boil the potatoes in the afternoon so the evening is just melting and eating.

Plan for dietary needs

Raclette is easy to adapt: add mushrooms, peppers and pineapple for vegetarians, and keep the charcuterie on a separate plate. Fondue is harder — warn the group in advance, and put a plate of potatoes and vegetables aside for anyone who cannot have the cheese or the wine.