 Poster: A snowHead
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Megamum, the minimums and myself are going to Val Thorens in April and wondered if anyone has used the Belambra GO FRIGO food delivery service. It purports to supply enough food for 6 main meals and 6 breakfasts. This is also available in their other appartments in other resorts.
Usually, as a cost saving excercise, food is taken from the UK or purchased en-route. This seems a 'convenient' alternative.
Based on 'resort' prices for food products, a fee of e65 per adult and e43 per child isnt that expensive. From experience, to eat out anywhere in VT will cost over e10 pp per meal, even at fast food outlets.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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It might save a lot of shopping.
I'd be interested in the sort of things you get in the packages - is there a choice, that sort of thing?
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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My own view is that given megamum's long experience of planning for, buying and producing low cost/high quality family meals this kind of service would leave her feeling cross, thinking how much better she could have done it herself.
This is not a criticism of Megamum, by the way, I'd be exactly the same myself. There's such a lot in the shops that I wouldn't touch with a bargepole. If you've slightly fussy children, that's another complication.
I would take a few basics from the UK (assuming you're driving) and then have quite an enjoyable wander round a supermarket near the resort, seeing what took my fancy. I usually get some assorted meat (looking very carefully at the use-by dates), and a great stack of fruit and vegetables, bars of Swiss choc, yogurt, creme fraiche, eggs, selection of cheeses, etc and it's "semi-planned" in my head in the process. Whilst I'm doing this, thinking about variety, nutrition, ease of cooking etc, the OH takes another trolley round the booze section, thinking of the balance between red and white.  .
We mostly have toast for breakfast (taking our own home made marmalade if possible) but it's worth throwing in favourite cereals for kids. Or adults who like muesli which isn't loaded with sugar - I've had some difficulty with that in French supermarkets.
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pam w, I think you are a woman after my own heart and thankyou for the vote of confidence in my abilities. BMF_Skier clearly has my best interests at heart, and I must admit I didn't even consider that you could get this sort of service. With more than 4 months until we all go there is plenty of time to look into options to make life easier though and it makes sense to consider all alternatives.
I've been costing it - its around £190 for 2 adults and 2 kids - I can buy a hellish amount of groceries (even at resort rates) for that sort of cash, and that I know will comprise stuff which will all get used. There is no good buying a fixed package which could contain something like tinned chicken Sweet & Sour if someone in the party won't eat meat with sweet/fruity sauces and I bet the packages contain this sort of thing, hence my question.
Last edited by You need to Login to know who's really who. on Wed 3-12-08 12:52; edited 1 time in total
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Megamum, yes, obviously good to look at all the alternatives. But it is a lot of money and would only be part of your needs. I bet you'd still need to shop for loads of bits and pieces which wouldn't strictly count as breakfast and an evening meal for 4 people. Like lunch stuff (an apt in the middle of the resort makes lunch at home easy enough), or snacks in the pocket, or nuts and nibbles for pre-supper drinks, something to fill up a hungry child at 5pm when supper isn't for ages. Drinks, including tea, coffee, milk. Toilet rolls (half a car full if your family is anything like mine). You'd still need to do quite a lot of shopping.
I wonder if the package includes things you need to cook with, like oils, condiments etc?
I think if I was willing (or had someone else who was willing) to spend a bit more to make life easier and more pleasant I'd go for a couple of meals out and/or being a bit more extravagant in my supermarket shop.
Surely a package as expensive as that wouldn't include anything so appalling as tinned chicken sweet & sour?  I've had some tins of Tesco curry in my cave for emergencies for 6 years now and no emergency quite so dire has yet arisen. A few scraps of tired leftover Beaufort on toast together with soup made in moments from a wrinkled potato, an onion, and a few sticks of celery with the brown bits cut out has always seemed preferable.
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BMF_Skier, yes, shortage of space is obviously an issue. But the choice of food in most resorts is pretty good - even in Les Saisies, which is only a small place. You don't need to take it all with you!
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pam w, the Chalet Food shopping service used to include tins of chilli con carne in the shopping, but they no longer seem to exist. Even in Monetier, I can buy fresh meat and vegetables at a not too extortionate price. I suspect Megamum will be happiest with her own selection.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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pam w,Prices in VT are extorsionate. Suppose its because its 25km up a valley from the main town Moutiere.
You can get food but at 2 or 3 times the Moutiere price. In beer vouchers for example.... price of a 24\ 30 bottle case was e8, in VT a 6 pack was (i think) e12. Other prices that same increase.
Thats why Megamum wants the BYO option. (for food)
Last edited by You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net. on Wed 3-12-08 21:46; edited 1 time in total
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BMF_Skier, Shop in the hypermarché in Moutier then.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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Helen Beaumont, Can do, but when we arrive it wont be open. So that'll mean at least a further 2 hour roundtrip down and up the valley. I'd rather pay the Frigo service than loose my hard earned holiday shopping. Thats the dilema, and why my original question was about the quality of the Frigo service.
Last edited by snowHeads are a friendly bunch. on Wed 3-12-08 21:55; edited 1 time in total
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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BMF_Skier, ok, I see.
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We are going to arrive v early on the saturday, with the intention of ski-ing. You dont want to be going down the hill in a saturday, its usually mayhem. On the Sunday most shops are closed, as they are in the rest of France. Its a balance im trying to get really.
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You know it makes sense.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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pam w, Thats where I think we are heading towards., but when I was there in April I was unimpressed with the selection in the shops and shocked at the prices. We may do a bit of both.
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Poster: A snowHead
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BMF_Skier, Some stuff, especially meat (and beer as you have already mentioned), was very expensive in VT compared to Moutier, other stuff could be found more reasonably. If you're only over for a week I think you'll manage to achieve the right balance between cost and convenience. Realistically you'll end up bringing as much as you can from the UK with maybe a pit stop somewhere along the way in France before the shops close. That way you'll end up spending less and getting what you actually want.
Choice is a bit limited in resort, and yes, it is more expensive, but it's only for a week so it's for you to decide on the compromise between cost/lack of choice on the one hand, and comfort in the car on the way down on the other.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Well ladies all, many thanks for your thoughts on this - I hadn't got involved in this at all - in fact this thread [i]Per se[/b] was a complete surprise to me. I think your inputs will add weight to my thoughts on this when I'm trying to get my own way so many thanks, independant input is so much more pursuasive 
When I go to Switzerland as you all know there are no shops!! I live for a whole week on what I take in the car. When he talks about lack comfort in the car I'm not really sure where BMF_Skier, thinks I put the food. Maybe he thinks that he is going to be asked to sit on layers of tins from my perspective comfort in a car is governed by the area you have to sit in and where you put your feet - I cannot see that carrying food in the boot is going to influence this. But hey, what do I know, maybe with our rapidly expanding ski collection BMF_Skier, is now worrying about where I will put the food in the space that we will now need for skis.
As he knows I championed the self catering chalet in VT - I don't think that the 6 of us ran to £200 worth of food in that week and we were all adults. Admittedly it was a case of 1001 things you can do with chicken breast (the cheapest option), but luckily its a versatile meat.
What I absolutely will take is ultra filtered milk from the UK - Cravendale or Tesco's own brand which is a tad cheaper. If you've never tried it it knocks 10 skittles out of UHT. Tastes just like normal milk yet will easily last the holiday - def. worth carting enough for the whole week.
I will go down the route of planning the meals around more or less taking everything with me and I WILL take what I think I need. It's amazing what you can do with packets and little imagination  Also, having been there I do know what I can buy in resort.
The ladies are right, when you are used to cooking and doing certain things with certain ingredients, and cooking for your own kids, you tend not to need that routine disrupted with a strange set of ingredients. At the moment I'll have the routine disrupted by a different set of taste buds, but I reckon I can cope with these - if I get any trouble is sweet and sour chicken and rice pudding for the week
Unless of course that after sourcing these ingredients BMF_Skier, was going to volunteer to do the cooking for us all - now maybe I haven't given that possibility sufficient consideration
BTW most of the above is in jest - I'm sure he's only trying to make my life easy
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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BMF_Skier, And don't worry I'll bring your 'luxury food'
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Hmm
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Megamum wrote:
if I get any trouble is sweet and sour chicken and rice pudding for the week |
Frigo it is then !
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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I can't believe people are carting Tesco milk all over France. 
I would write a week's menu plan, take store cupboard stuff from home (spices, condiments etc), then shop on the way. If places in Moutiers are going to be closed when you arrive, do it somewhere else on the way down. There are supermarkets all over the place and they're not hard to find - head for any big town and you will see zillions of signs for shopping places.
Delivery services are always going to be more expensive than shopping yourself because (obviously) you are paying someone else to pick, pack and deliver it.
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Lizzard, We'll be bringing more than normal over for Xmas and New Year simply because of the exchange rate, fortunately by sheer co-incidence we stocked up the store cupbord over the summer so we will have more space for cool boxes of fresh food in the car.
If needs be we use the little Sherpa supermarket which doesn't cost a lot more than valley supermarkets, in any case the big hypermarket in Albertville is open on Sundays 
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| Quote: |
the big hypermarket in Albertville is open on Sundays
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Disgusting, thin end of the wedge. Surprised they have the necessary derogation.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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Boredsurfing, not surprising as Aime could claim to be a seasonal resort.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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| Quote: |
the big hypermarket in Albertville is open on Sundays
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Is it? It certainly used not to be (the Géant, that is).
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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BMF_Skier, Switzerland and VT will be two different holidays food wise. In Switzerland there are no shops in resort - life will be, by necessity somewhat more basic. In VT we have the food shops, regardless of cost. If the kitty proves there is as much available as it would cost to do the Frigo route - I would be happy to take the necessities and shop in VT for what we need to last the week - at least that way I know what to do with what I buy rather than a mystery box from Frigo. All you cooking ladies, if I'm cooking shouldn't I get to choose what I cook?
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pam w, No it isnt at the moment.
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You know it makes sense.
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Boredsurfing, Briancons supermarkets are open on Sunday mornings in Summer, but not in winter.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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Megamum, you can get fresh milk in French supermarkets, it isn't all UHT.
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Poster: A snowHead
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Megamum, put your foot down and tell him it's a bad idea. Who can be bothered with some Ready Steady Cook type challenge while on holiday in an apartment with two hotplates? Sod that.
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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| Quote: |
All you cooking ladies, if I'm cooking shouldn't I get to choose what I cook?
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I'd say so, but then I would definitely not take milk from the UK - it's bulky and you can get that same sort of fresh/filtered milk in France, usually up to 2 - 3 weeks life.
With the exchange rate, there's more argument for taking high cost/low bulk items from the UK though, if you have space. At the present BOGOF rates in our Tesco even good quality ground coffee is markedly cheaper here. I did a big shop yesterday for things like small tins of crab, anchovies and some jars of high quality red onion chutney (makes a super instant supper with French ready made butter pastry and crumbled goat's cheese). Those are the sort of items I'd have in my survival pack. I find that French all butter pastry, readily available and ready rolled, is a lot better than the ones sold here and I have a quiche tin exactly the right size. French supermarkets have cheapish small jars of asparagus they make a great quiche, with plenty of Beaufort cheese. With ready made pastry approximate preparation time is 5 minutes.
The same pastry, generously covered with grated parmesan and gruyere, with lots of black pepper and a little cayenne, rolled, chilled, sliced and baked, makes fantastic nibbles. But not recommended for the same evening as the quiche.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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Helen Beaumont, Yes, I know that French supermarkets sell fresh milk, and this is OK to get started on, but in my experience its a job to get it to last a week. When I was in VT I don't recall seeing fresh milk for sale - only UHT, if anyone knows better then brilliant - I'll buy the milk in resort - after all it is all weight to carry and space taken that I can fill with food. Similarly I will buy bread in resort in VT too - there was a nice bakers IIRC.
Lizzard, got it in a nutshell - thanks
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Megamum, No problems getting fresh milk in the supermarket at the P&V building, can't swear it was super duper ultra filtered stuff, but it wasn't UHT.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Megamum, the fresh milk usually has a very good shelf life,so may even be microfiltered
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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Helen Beaumont, yes, I think it is. I regularly buy milk in those blue-topped milk-bottle shaped plastic bottles - "lait fraiche" but I can usually find some with 2 - 3 weeks shelf life, so it must be micro-filtered.
Another thing I usually take from the UK is mini Mars, Twix, etc for putting in the pocket whilst skiing. They are far cheaper, on special offer in the supermarkets, than in France. Saves a fortune when skiing with kids/teenagers. The local fantastic, but expensive, chocolate is great for after dinner, as is a choice of delicious things from the patisserie. I rarely make desserts - other than creme brulée with the local unpasteurised cream - unbelievably better than Tesco's and very cheap, but only available in the cremerie. Maybe not available in VT, which is a bit far from the cows, I guess.
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johnnyboy, Supermarket in the P&V building you say? I may not have found that!! I shopped at a small spar type shop out of the top of the big central shopping centraand across the street - same street as the ATM machine is in at the top of the Poma that takes you up from the ski school area. If yours in a different shop it could be useful to find - there wasn't much choice in the little shop (it was close to a small pricey deli with saucisson hanging all round it).
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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BMF_Skier, you are a man. Your role in catering is to eat everything on offer, give praise and do the washing up. You may also wish to open bottles of wine, and it is acceptable occasionally to offer to cook one of your three speciality dishes. How hard can it be?
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FAQ
