family skiing Archives

Best ski chalet home bakes

What’s the highlight of a catered chalet ski trip? It’s got to be the afternoon tea, with a different, freshly-baked cake every afternoon to tuck into post-piste. Delicious and well-deserved after a day sweating the slopes.

Booked a self-catering chalet or apartment and want to recreate that sumptuous après ski afternoon-tea vibe? You’re in luck! Here at WhoSki.com, cakes are among our specialist subjects.

And we think your best ski chalet home bake options are:

Visit the local patisserie and buy one of those spectacular, to-die-for cakes.
Order from French Alps catering specialist Huski, who can deliver a selection of cakes ranging from flapjacks to chocolate gateau. (Remember to use our discount code WhoSki5 when ordering.)
DIY if you’re driving: bake in advance and pack a couple of home bakes for your trip.

As a keen home baker, I take the DIY route and always lob a couple of homemade cakes into the boot of the car. I make them in advance, freeze, then grab them as we go. It’s pretty low-effort and saves you LOADS of money.

My best ski chalet bakes are batch cakes or loaf cakes, which freeze well and are highly portable. Going with friends or other families? If everyone donates a bake, you’ll have a full week of afternoon teas covered.

a selection of home bake loaf cakes for a ski chalet tea — Loaf cakes work well as ski chalet home bakes

My Top 5 Ski Bakes

Chocolate brownies. I like Nigella’s ‘Domestic Goddess’ recipe, and usually knock up a batch the day before we head off so no need to freeze. Swap nuts for chopped up milk chocolate for an uber sugar hit. Perfect snacking after a day on the blacks.

Lemon syrup loaf cake. Loaf cakes freeze and travel well if you make them in a paper liner (Lakeland offers a good selection). Try the ‘Domestic Goddess’ again, for a fail-safe lemon syrup cake recipe.

ski chalet home bakes: snickerdoodle cheesecake bars and flapjacks — Tray bakes are perfect for a ski tea table

Snickerdoodle Cheesecake Bars. (see above: left and middle) Easy to make, robust and with a hint of cinnamon. A delicious flat bake that would pack well in your cold bag. Recipe from Edd Kimber’s great ‘Small Batch Bakes’ cookbook.

Flapjacks. I tend to use Delia Smith’s basic recipe, supplemented with whatever dried fruit I have in the cupboard. Chopped dried apricots, dates or raisins help liven things up, along with a spoonful of chia seeds for added benefits.

Fruitcakes and ginger loaf cakes also travel well – with the added bonus that you don’t need to freeze them in advance. A chocolate loaf cake could also double up as a pudding when heated up in the microwave and served with cream or ice cream.

Got a fave ski chalet home bake you always take for your ski trip? I’d love to know!

Ace your next ski trip

Racing to the slopes for a ski trip? WhoSki.com is your best piste pal for snow tips for all the family, every step of the way.

Survive the drive:

From TAG to aire, 15 years-worth of tips to ease your experience of the autoroute to the Alps. Read more: Ski-drive tips

Offspring going on a Uni ski trip?

There’s a lot that goes on during student ski trip that it’s probably best for parents NOT to know. Ever. We persuaded some students to spill the beans and share their tips. Read more: Secrets of the student ski trip

Sell your ski stuff now:

Have you ever tried finding ski clothing in shops after February half-term? Our top tip – don’t bother! The shelves are full of summer sports gear already, making this the perfect time to list your good as new ski clothing at WhoSki.com for a quick sale. Read more: Five simple steps to selling your ski clothes

Dealing with reluctant skiers:

What can you do if your child – or grandchild – doesn’t like ski school? My daughter hated her ski lessons, for YEARS. Here’s what I tried, with varying levels of success… Read more: Help! My child doesn’t like ski school

Must-haves for a school ski trip:

Still looking for kit for a school ski trip child? The WhoSki.com shop is the best place to buy good quality ski clothes at great prices. Check our school ski trip essentials checklist to make sure you’ve got everything you need. Read more: School ski trip packing list

Cross country ski essentials:

If you’re hitting the trails rather than the downhills, we can help. It’s hard work – but super-fun. Here’s exactly what you should be wearing to stay warm, look good and avoid overheating when cross country skiing. Read more: Dress right for XC skiing

Shop sustainably. Buy and sell at WhoSki.com: we donate 10% of our commission to teen mental health charity stem4 on EVERY sale.

Image by derich on Freepik

Help! My child doesn’t like going to ski school

Having a child who doesn’t like going to ski school can ruin your ski holiday as well as theirs. Is there anything you can do?

Of my two children, one was a ‘Ski-Do’ at ski school from day one, aged five. He went off happily every day, eventually progressing to avalanche drill and schussing the scariest of couloirs with his cool dude instructors.

Child No2, however, was a classic ‘Ski-Don’t’. Didn’t like the ski school experience, was always the one hanging off the back of the ski tiddlers-snake, terrified of getting lost on the mountain, anxiety-induced tummy aches. To her credit, she did try her best not to cry until we’d dropped her at ski school, but it was stressful for all. Even now, a keen late-teens skier, she reckons she’s got ski-school-induced PTSD: “It’s not the skiing I disliked, mum, it was the lessons.”

Parental guilt, moi? Big time.

So, is there anything you can do to help your child who doesn’t like going to ski school? Here’s what I tried and how successful it was…

1 COMFORT:

Make sure your child is comfortable in their ski kit. Clothes should be warm and easy to take on and off. Snip out any scratchy labels. Let them help choose their outfit – wanting to wear the ski suit they specially selected for ski school might act as an incentive to join in with enthusiasm.
Success rate: 3/5 (On day 1, at least. Enthusiasm subsequently plummeted)

“I love my Barbie ski suit – but I still don’t like ski school”

2 A COMFORTER:

One year, my daughter spent her time on the slopes with a favourite doll tucked down her front, securely zipped inside her all-in-one. Did it help? Somewhat, although there were still PLENTY of tears. This was also the year she caught Norovirus and scarlet fever while in resort. Note to self: perhaps it’s NOT ski school that’s the problem?
Success rate: 2/5 (Slightly happier but no silver bullet. Feeling like c**p probs didn’t help)

3 SNACKS:

A little packet of sweets tucked into a safe pocket for break time is a good incentive, especially if your child isn’t normally allowed much in the way of ‘naughties’.
Success rate: 0/5 (No kidding my girl, who knew life would have been happier with us, slurping a chocolat chaud avec Chantilly in a cosy cafe)

Hot chocolate with Chantilly cream — You can see the appeal of a chocolat chaud

4 ANXIETY REMEDY:

I used to send my quivering child off to ski school sucking on a ‘braveness sweetie’, with a couple more zipped into a pocket. Braveness sweeties = fruit flavoured Rescue Remedy pastilles. Did they work? Well, research suggests that Rescue Remedies can help reduce anxiety. They at least gave my little girl something to focus on mentally to help manage her worries.
Success rate: 3/5 (Recommend. Pack enough so all the kids in your group can enjoy the braveness bonus)

5 THROW MONEY AT THE PROBLEM:

The year we abandoned group lessons in favour of a private instructor was the first year EVER my daughter did not hate learning to ski. We shared the cost across two families and guess what? It was worth EVERY PENNY.
Success rate: 5/5 (Happy child = happy parent. Daughter only required private tuition for a few years before she was able to ski en famille. Bingo!)

6 DIY aka ‘DO A SALLY’:

My WhoSki co-founder Sally gave up on ski school, and she and her partner taught the kids themselves. As she puts it: “Sometimes this was bonding and at other times very, very hard work!”
Success rate: 3/ 5 on a good day (but 5/5 for affordability)

To be honest, perhaps my daughter’s aversion to group lessons stemmed from a bad experience on a dry ski slope aged four, where she got hit in the head by a rogue button lift seat. Not a great start…

Have you managed to solve the ‘Ski-Don’t’ problem? Let us know on the WhoSki social media channels.