How to embrace a Plant-Based diet in Morzine

Welcome to the foodie paradise, where melting cheese and cured meats are the Savoyarde staple for the Morzinoise crowd…

You’d be forgiven for thinking all you can eat in Morzine is cheese and meat, or meat and cheese. 

Cheese melted as raclette or Savoyarde fondue, in a croque monsieur or as an after dinner nibble. Meat as cassoulet, steak hache or charcuterie. Or something with both – such as Tartiflette! 

Traditionally, Vegetarians (let alone Vegans) aren’t well catered for in the Alpine mountains. There are a few restaurants that offer inventive alternatives (check out the Vegan poke bowl at La Rotonde) and the more casual offerings such as the Bec Jaune for world foods, Hideout for bang-bang broccoli, (we’re hoping it still features in their new Winter menu!) Cuisine 22 for cauliflower poppers (and plant based curry/burgers), Beanies for Vegan pizza and of course Satellite – the Morzine Mecca for alternative coffee and bistro nights. 

Don’t worry! This next paragraph isn’t going to suggest you fill your self-catering baskets with imported avocados, soya milk or swap your free-range eggs for chickpea juice (yet). Zut alors at all those air miles… plus it’s not very French! 

If you’re looking to start with a local and sustainable alternative to cut down on meat, we recommend trying the trout (la truite) from Les Meuniers Fish Farm on the Ardoisières valley (take a tour on your way up to the Prodains cable car, but book ahead) and it’s also available in many of the restaurants including La Grange and L’Étale.

In Gene Stone and Michael Greger’s seminal health book How Not to Die, the main takeaway (other than to reduce meat, dairy, alcohol, caffeine and eat more veg, nuts and seeds) was to EAT MORE BEANS!

(And no, we don’t mean imported, sugary, baked beans).

But guess what?

The French love their beans! From the popular Haricots Blancs and Haricots Rouges to the Feves, Flageolets, Mogettes and Lingots. They’re found in lamb and beef stews, cassoulets, hearty soups and salads. N.b. Haricot Verts are the Anglicised French green bean (fresh, aka a vegetable!)

Beans can be used to make tasty appetizers, winter-warmers or snacks that are high in protein too. Check out these foolproof recipes:

• Bean pâté
  Winter white-bean spread
  Simple kidney-bean pate
• Stews
  Deliciously Ella’s three bean stew
  BBC butterbean stew
  French white bean cassoulet 
• Bean burgers
  Vegan burgers with a kick of French mustard
  Bosh! black bean burgers 
• Homemade beans on toast
  Vegan (cannellini) baked-beans

Beans are evidently a great swap for meat, but what about cheese? And dairy in general? 

It’s easy to replicate creamy dairy products such as cheese and milk with… nuts! Go nuts for homemade hazelnut milk and cashew cheese in various states of meltyness. You’ll save on packaging and heavy shopping bags too!

With this in mind, you can make Veggieflette (swap bacon/lardons for mushrooms) and Veganflette (swap the dairy for nut cheeses) or go the whole hog and layer aubergine and courgette instead of potatoes!

We’re not saying you should eliminate ALL meat and dairy from your plate (I can’t imagine being without my tub of Fromage Blanc or pitstop ham sandwich!) but a balanced diet that is plant based has been proven to be healthy for your body and planet (check out Montagne Verte for local eco happenings). Whether it’s simply a meat free Monday or we go back to eating meat once a week such as a Sunday Roast, or purely for a special occasion to be savoured. So there we have it:

Eat less meat and dairy, by eating more beans and nuts.

Try it as an Xtra – you might even like it! Whether your self catering, being catered for or eating out, start the revolution right here with More-Beanz in Morzine with Mountain Xtra!

Bon app!