Author: Tamara Bienkowska

Categories
ramblings skiing your holiday

We miss you.

group of smiling people in ski gear with snowy trees and mountain in the distance
Mountain Utopia guests smiling after a great day on the slopes

We miss you all. It’s been over 11 months since we waved our last group of guests goodbye. It’s been a strange forced sabbatical for us. Sure, we are enjoying the time off, the morning coffees in bed and a spot of ski touring here and there, but..

Truth be told, we miss you all a lot. Seeing how much your kids have grown (and some of them are taller than me now, judging by the photos). We miss the cuddles and catch ups. You know for us it’s all about the little things. Like seeing your eyes light up when we serve you your favourite dish or when we ask you what cake would you like today. We love sharing our new cooking skills with you. The laughs with the kids helping decorate the cake. All the snow men (and women) and the snow mice and snow turtle too. The competitive sledging. We buzz of hearing all about your day’s adventures on the slopes. We miss the wholesome joy of conversation over a cuppa and a slice of cake. And enjoying a film or a board game and cheeky glass of wine with you at the end of the day.

While we are keeping busy with our mini farm, we are already planning and preparing for the next winter. And while we know it’s going to be different, we are adamant at making awesome. We are working out the fine details to ensure we can offer you the service you love, the safety we all need and flexibility you desire, so watch this space. New exciting things are coming. We are looking forward to welcoming you all again at Mountain Utopia and can’t wait to be part of your awesome holidays in the mountains again. So, stay safe and healthy and hopeful and see you again soon.

From Mountain Utopia

with love,

T&t

Categories
environment ramblings travel your holiday

Decisions, the future, the now.

Right then, we have some big news for you. We have decided to take this winter off from running the chalet. Don’t worry, we are not going anywhere. To tell the truth, we are buzzing with excitement. Both are really looking forward to telling you what we’ve learned in the last few months and are going to learn in the months to come. But… first things first:

Our mission is to provide you with the best holiday experience ever, while ensuring everybody’s safety in our care. We simply didn’t find a way that wouldn’t compromise either. I would like to take a moment to explain the most important reasons behind our decision:

  1. Our service.

As part of due diligence we must take extra precautions like PPE, room fogging and UV sanitisation or sterilising duvets, which we are perfectly happy with. However, a ‘no hugs’ policy, ‘no guests allowed in the kitchen’ policy, having to remove all the soft furnishings, ‘unnecessary’ decorations, plants, toys and books (while perfectly understandable and necessary) wasn’t something we wanted to do. These are all important aspects of the holiday ambiance and what makes Mountain Utopia a home from home. We cannot fully comply with the regulations and provide our customers the experience our guests know and love at the same time. We don’t want to operate at a distance and in segregated manner. Mountain Utopia is and always will be personal. We want to be able to enjoy your company, not hiding in our kitchen behind screens!

  1. Health.

We all need to keep away from each other to stay safe at the moment. The personal relationship and close contact with our guests is essential to what we created at Mountain Utopia and a risk we cannot take. At the same time, I simply couldn’t tell a 6 year old boy, who’s been visiting us every year (even before he was born, in his mummy’s belly) that he cannot come and give me a hug.

  1. Travel insurance.

Insurance companies are not offering travelers adequate cancellation cover related to Covid19 for their holidays. They are shirking their responsibilities leaving us to underwrite the holidays ourselves. This could leave both us and our clients out of pocket, if any closures or travel restrictions were imposed making it impossible for the guests to attend their holiday.

Fear not, we are not done! By not operating this winter, we can mitigate those risks and ensure we can welcome you all at Mountain Utopia in the years to come. We just need to wait for a vaccine.

We are sad that we won’t be able to host you this ski season. We were really looking forward to seeing all your happy faces, filling your bellies with home cooked delights and your hearts with joy.

It is not a gap year for us, far from it! Although, we might enjoy a few more lay-ins. We are going back to school. Working on improving our cooking skills, growing organic food, foraging, making preserves, raising chickens, exercising our French language skills. We are just about to start an 8 week online pastry course. I am also developing new, eco-friendly cleaning and hygiene products. (I have just made myself a beautiful moisturising face wash. It is gentle, biodegradable plus it feels and smells divine. I am very proud of this one.)

The planet has shown some signs of recovery during the mass lock down and nature here in the mountains is thriving. It gave us inspiration and the time to reassess all our processes and supply chains. We aim to minimise the negative environmental impact and offer you highest quality, fair-trade and organic products. We will keep you posted on all of those, obviously.

We are not trying to diminish the suffering and struggle this pandemic has inflicted all over the world. We feel incredibly lucky to have avoided this illness ourselves so far and those members of our family, who have had it, have recovered. We are counting our blessings every day and while we wait for the vaccine we will do whatever is in our power to make the world a little kinder, safer and healthier place one day at a time.

Can you please let us know what changes you would like to see in the future of skiing holiday? Tell us what would make you feel more comfortable when staying with us and travelling in general. Don’t be shy, give us a call or drop us a line. We need all your good ideas plus we would love to hear from you!

We would like to send you our kindest wishes and hope you have a peaceful day. Massive virtual hugs to you all.

Tamara and Toby,

From Mountain Utopia with love.

Categories
environment food and recipes morzine ramblings

Time to grow.

a metal bowl with a delection of home grown vegetables

I don’t need to tell you how strange and challenging the recent months have been.  The Covid 19 pandemic has shaken the whole world and affected every individual on the planet. We are no exception.

As my health and the new antibody treatment requires me to keep shielding from risks of any infection (which in layman terms means: avoiding people) for the time being. As consequence neither of us is able to take any contract work this summer or go away volunteering, or use public transport, eat out, visit family, hang out with our friends… You get the idea. A kind of forced ‘staycation’. Not quite a house arrest, but still, it’s quite restrictive. In the grand scheme of things though, it’s not a biggie. We’re both well, our families have been spared from the new illness so far. We live in one of the most beautiful places in the world. We count our blessings every  single day.

Without diminishing the gravity of the situation and suffering that it has and still is causing around the globe, we decided to make a conscious effort at making it a time of growth. Both personally and professionally, we are using this opportunity to learn new skills and hone the ones we have already acquired. We’re learning new food preparation techniques, developing new eco friendly business processes and initiatives. Toby has become an prodigious road cyclist and a self taught carpenter, while I have discovered a strong passion for gardening. I would like to share a few thought about it with you, as i think everyone can benefit from a bit of growing.

Honestly, nothing beats the sense of accomplishment mixed with the feeling of humble gratefulness and spontaneous joy you get from growing your own food. I love the learning and attention it requires of us every day. Buzz of satisfaction from overcoming challenges, fighting bugs and illnesses with homemade organic treatments. The everyday garden lessons have been invaluable. Eating your first crops, from the plants you have grown from seed in the compost you have made has a profound philosophical value to us too. Making life a bit more sustainable, organic and circular every day gives us kicks, I won’t lie.

On family front, despite not being able to visit them in person, we are deepening our relationships with our grandmothers. The invaluable oracles of wisdom are sharing their sound old school methods of growing, storing and preparing food via daily video calls. They are sorceresses, I swear. If I can’t diagnose the problem or find the answer to a particularly baffling question on the internet; somehow there is always a book on the shelf they can reach and find the information I need.

There is a community aspect of it too. Exchanging bits of knowledge with other growers in the area and around the world over the channels of social media is refreshing and rewarding. Not forgetting the awesome feeling you get from sharing your crops with others. And that of course includes all of our winter guests, who will get to enjoy our delicious homemade preserves prepared from home grown and foraged fruit, vegetables and herbs. We are very excited about that part. We believe that sharing food, is sharing love. Simple as that.

Learning about the staggering complexity of all processes and variables involved growing food is a beautifully humbling experience. Discovering how different plants interact with each other: did you know that beans are not going to let beetroots grow near them? Or that marigolds will protect your cabbages from caterpillars? Exploring some of the simplest and most profound of truths, like that every tiny living thing will do its absolute best to stay alive, procreate and prosper; offers you an opportunity to look at life, however small and insignificant in a wholly different way. More connected, respectful and inspired by nature. It grounds you while giving you a sense of hope and belonging. Even in difficult times. So, if you haven’t yet: go out, start digging, get muddy and grow some food.  It’s good for your body and for your soul. I promise.

Categories
environment food and recipes morzine ramblings

The Supremes

tamara sitting in the garden with four white chickens

The pandemic has decided to change everybody’s plans for the near future. For us, living with my chronic lung illness, it meant we’re staying home for the summer. No travelling, no festivals, no volunteering at Refugee Community Kitchen or visiting grandmas. It was a shame, sure, but we decided to focus on positives and do the best we can with our forced “staycation”. And we did just that.

Homesteading was always something we wanted to do. Small scale cruelty free farming and growing our own healthy and environmentally friendly food is our long term ambition. Ecology is very important to us, but… We live in a rented accommodation and we travel often for work and pleasure, making it a back burner dream, waiting patiently for a convenient time in the future.

Since we realised that we’ll have to take the route of self isolation for a prolonged period of time, we though: why don’t we get chickens? We’ve done our reading, talked to friends who raise them, spoke to our landlady and decided to take the leap. We have ordered 4 Sussex pullets (immature hens) as they are the most docile, friendly, chatty and easy going breed and a good choice for both egg production and rearing for meat. The idea of having different breed hens sounded cool at the start, with different plumage and multicoloured eggs, but since we were total novices in the game, we decided to make it as easy and stress free (both for us and the girls) as possible.

Toby designed and built a super coop and sheltered run all out of scrap materials. We made ladders, dust bath, multiple perches and even a swing. We wanted them to fully enjoy their life with us.

We called the girls The Supremes and they really are just amazing. Now we have them chasing us around the garden, talking to us from the window sill while we work at our desks, laying eggs in designated nest boxes (not a small feat, just saying) and living a happy and healthy lives.

Was it easy?

Hell no! Within 2 days one of the girls got ill, had serious breathing difficulties that developed in matter of hours. We were worried sick. First we thought she was choking and given her a chicken version of Heimlich manoeuvre. Yes, seriously.

Brought her in, isolated her in a cage in our flat right away. Panicking, calling and emailing vets and chemists while googling what might be causing her symptoms. We were not prepared for this in any measure. As the national quarantine was in full swing, no vet would see her. We felt helpless and distraught at her suffering, we worried she might die. Long story short: after few sleepless nights and nerve-wracking days of force feeding her water with a pipette, giving her treatments for potential infections and parasites, and numerous inhalations (that’s right!) with my asthma meds, just to enable her to breathe, she started improving. It took 10 days for her to be reunited with the rest of the gang in the same shared area. And they were avoiding her for a few weeks, but all is good now.

Was it worth it?

Absolutely! We now get to enjoy the fresh eggs being laid for us every day. And one of the girls lays double yolkers! We also get to learn lots. Offer and receive the companionship. Laugh and marvel at their antics. There’s also Chicken TV. Toby, in his infinite wisdom designed the coop and run so we don’t have to go outside to let the hens out or to collect the eggs. We just need to lean out of the living room window. The girls have access to the outside window sill and provide excellent entertainment when they come to eat, or to lay an egg or chat. Yes, they do like talking. A lot.

Would you like to keep chickens?

Categories
morzine your holiday

Happy, healthy Easter everyone!

It’s definitely a strange one for us. We are sure it’s a bitter sweet one for most of you, too. There’s no egg hunt here for the children, there’s no babka. No way to share a beautifully decorated hard boiled egg with your family. Yes, I am  fully aware that some of the Polish traditions will seem pretty odd to most of you, but still. 🙂 In keeping with the spirit of this occasion, let us focus on the good things. The spring is here, fruit trees are blossoming and birds are singing. The weather is amazing, and fuzzy bumble bees have awaken from their long winter’s sleep. Let’s spend today making the food we love and talking with nearest and dearest on the phone or video chats. Let’s plan the feasts and celebrations, that will ensue when we are able to hug each other again. We can get through this together. We wish you all a happy, healthy and peaceful Easter. Stay home. Stay hopeful. Eat chocolate.
Categories
ramblings your holiday

Stay home. Stay safe. Stay hopeful.

Well, that’s a kind of end to the winter that nobody has expected. The resorts are shut, France and most of Europe is in lockdown and I guess UK will follow suit in the next few days. The big nasty virus has certainly taken the humanity at large by surprise. And while we’re gutted that the ski season has been brutally cut short, we wholeheartedly agree with the government’s decision to shut the lifts/restaurants and any public gatherings. Yes, it is scary and it will cause a lot of pain and chaos. No, we don’t know what the future will bring. But we honestly believe, that we can get through this together. So for everybody’s sake, please do what the WHO recommends and save lives. I would like to take a moment to say thank you, to every single one of you that has shown us your support and solidarity. We are truly sorry to those of you that have lost your holiday because of this pandemic and we will do anything in our power to help you in your travel insurance claims. We have received so many lovely messages and calls from our past guests and those who haven’t had a chance to experience Mountain Utopia’s hospitality yet, because of this crisis. They have moved us deeply, at times to tears. It was an incredibly difficult few days for us and your words made us love what we do so much more. If there is one thing that we can assure you of, it is the fact that we are absolutely determined to make your ski holiday even better and are looking forward to welcoming you in our chalet next winter. Thank you all for being in our life. We will forever be grateful.
Categories
environment food and recipes morzine

So fresh and so green.

We’re so excited, we have to share this with you.

We have just made friends with Sam, who is helping us make Mountain Utopia a little bit greener. Both literally and metaphorically. And it’s going to be lush.

Sam runs @bonjourlittlegreen and grows micro greens. Organically, locally and with whole lotta love.

Now we can offer you our greens and salads, that are GROWN to order, 20 minutes away from the chalet! All year, ultra fresh produce from his incredibly beautiful vertical farm. We get them delivered in grow boxes, which means we cut them just minutes before plating the food for our guest. You can’t get anything more fresh than that.

The quality of his herbs, salads and flowers is superior to anything you’ve ever tried. They are not only super nutritious but also super delicious. Not to mention that they make any dish look like a work of art.

Can’t wait to share them with you, and very excited to be able to cut the food miles and support another local business while we’re at it.

Happy days.

Categories
morzine skiing your holiday

Ready, steady..go!

Here’s to another awesome winter! We are really looking forward to this one. The snow is great. We’ve been out and conducted the quality control checks for you and let me tell you, it’s pretty sweet out there. Avoriaz opened 2 weeks early, and Les Crosets 3 weeks before schedule. We had the pleasure to sampling some incredible powder and the great depths of it that are already on offer. We can’t wait to welcome some of our regular guests, who by now feel more like friends and family to us. We’re also thrilled about meeting in person all the new arrivals at mountain utopia. It’s interesting how you build a relationship with people over the phonecalls emails and through social media, so then when it finally comes to meeting face to face, it feels like you’ve known each other for a long time. We’re super happy to tell you that Emma will be joining us for the second season in Morzine. Our hostess with the mostest, flapjack baker extraordinaire and our fabulous assistant is back to help us make your holiday even more enjoyable. So, what’s new? you might ask. And there are a few things. Not in any particular order: * We have bought a second minibus and that means that all of the guests can set off for the lifts at the same time if they would like to. No more waiting around. * New upgraded recycling system. We intend to sort all the landfill materials in house and find the recycling centers that can take them. Think: wine corks, CD’s, crisp packets etc. It’s a big project, wish us luck. * New, extra large bath sheets. Because we care and listen to you. And if you want to wrap up in a big towel, we will get you your big towel and make sure it is luxurious and fluffy. * Brand new exciting menu, inspired by our travels. We’ve been working hard all summer, honing our skills catering for weddings, filling in top end restaurants and running galleys on luxury barges. Trust me when I say this, we’ve acquired some awesome new skills that we’ll be using to spoil you rotten throughout your stay with us. I’m sure there will be a few more things you might notice, new pieces of art and decor, new board games and bits of tech.. not to mention the new lifts and ski runs waiting for you.. but let’s not reveal it all. Otherwise we might spoil the fun of discovery.
Categories
ramblings travel

Trip to Jordan

We have been away for a week of exploring the Kingdom of Jordan. Couldn’t afford to go away for any longer, so rather than a relaxing holiday in one of the beach resorts, we did our thing. Namely, we hired the sh*ttiest car in the world (1.1l Tata Zest) and drove up and down this incredibly interesting, strangely beautiful, crazy, dusty, mountainous, and very welcoming country. What we loved: Wadi Rum. The desert. We both instantly fell in love with the forbidding cruelty of this place. Never thought that such universal and ultimate hardship could be this beautiful. The relentless heat and the rarity of rain make it an incredibly hard place to live in. And yet, Bedouin tribes still do. We’ve seen trees and shrubs clinging to impossible rocks, flowers, butterflies,birds and bats. Nature has just blew my little mind again. I loved feeling tiny in front of massive rock formations, and tracking scorpions and centipedes on the sand. What we hated: Animal abuse and child labour. There’s no easy way to say it. It is disgusting, but the place with the most serious breaches in human and animal rights in Jordan is Petra. I wanted to see the ancient city since I first saw it on telly as a kid. And as much as it was stunning, and more impressive than any documentary could ever make it, if we’d known how it was run, we would not go. It is classified a one of 7 wonders of the world, but UNESCO should take the status from the site or impose serious restrictions and controls. I don’t want to go into too much detail, as it might be triggering for some, but if you chose to go, I beg you, walk, don’t ride in carts or on donkeys. What we’ve learned: How welcoming Muslims are if you respect their culture. I even got invited to  join a Koran reading in the Sharif Hussein Bin Ali mosque in Aqaba, after which I got to chat with local women (using our phones and gestures and maybe 10 English and 5 Arab words in total). A beautifully awkward, humbling and heartwarming experience of building connections over gardening, cooking and philosophy. What we brought back: A giant loofah, Bedouin tea, few loc spices and a great deal of new ideas for dishes inspired by our adventure.
Categories
ramblings travel

Summer Update from Mountain Utopia with love.

It’s been a busy few months. We’ve done 6 weeks of travelling and volunteering around Europe. Granted, it was pretty intense at times, but very rewarding. We’ve been lucky enough with our shifts stewarding for Oxfam at Download and Glastonbury festivals to see our favourite bands, make new friends and dance our socks off to Kylie. Woo!

We have also done a week of cooking at Calais’ Refugee Community Kitchen, and can add ability to make 120 kg batch of hummus, or 350 kg of salad in 4 hrs to our skill set. Cooking and delivering meals to 1500 people in extremely desperate situation is certainly a very humbling experience. We will definitely come back to help again as soon as work allows us to do so. If you would like to know more about RCK’s work, or may be interested in donating or volunteering yourself, you can find more information here.

In other news, our catered chalet has been awarded TripAdvisor’s Certificate of Excellence again and we have reached top 3 in all three categories of Morzine Source Awards this summer – for best food, accommodation and customer service. We’re very grateful to all our fantastic guests for making this happen. Thank you for trusting us with your ski holiday, all your kind words and the support over the years. You are the best!

The preparations for the winter season are in full swing at MUHQ and these include some very exciting changes, including a new vehicle, art, decor and more. Watch this space.

On eco front, we have teamed up with our friends at Montagne Verte Morzine. A collaboration aiming to help us deliver a luxury ski holidays that are as eco friendly as humanly possible. And to allow us to aid our little community on the road to a greener future. It’s all very exciting. Also, we are trialing yet another homemade eco friendly alternative to a chalet cleaning product… but i think green cleaning deserves it’s own blog post, don’t you think? Would you like to learn more about it? Would you like us to share our clean cleaning recipes and tips?