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Back The Chalet Save as PDF
Chapters (75)
  1. Cover
  2. Praise for The Chalet
  3. Dedication
  4. PART ONE
  5. 1
  6. 2
  7. 3
  8. 4
  9. 5
  10. 6
  11. 7
  12. 8
  13. 9
  14. 10
  15. 11
  16. 12
  17. 13
  18. 14
  19. 15
  20. 16
  21. 17
  22. 18
  23. 19
  24. 20
  25. 21
  26. PART TWO
  27. 22
  28. 23
  29. 24
  30. 25
  31. 26
  32. 27
  33. 28
  34. 29
  35. PART THREE
  36. 30
  37. 31
  38. 32
  39. 33
  40. 34
  41. 35
  42. 36
  43. 37
  44. 38
  45. 39
  46. 40
  47. 41
  48. 42
  49. 43
  50. 44
  51. 45
  52. 46
  53. 47
  54. 48
  55. 49
  56. 50
  57. 51
  58. 52
  59. 53
  60. 54
  61. 55
  62. 56
  63. 57
  64. 58
  65. 59
  66. 60
  67. 61
  68. 62
  69. 63
  70. Epilogue
  71. Acknowledgements
  72. Keep Reading …
  73. Prologue
  74. About the Author
  75. About the Publisher

I signed up to catering college instead. Anna helped me. She was surprised that I wanted to leave school when my exams were so close and said she thought I had a lot of academic potential. Anna had known me since I was tiny and, as tragic as it was, given that helping to look after me was her paid job, she was the closest thing I had to family, except for Rhonda, who was by now very unwell so I didn’t want to bother her with my problems. I knew I was very lucky to have Anna on my side. She was always on about wanting me to follow my dreams, so when I told her that I wanted to be a chef she was more than happy to help set me up.

And while I initially came up with this idea as a means to an end, once I started college I was surprised to find I actually liked cooking – and I was pretty good at it. I’d never done much cooking at my various ‘homes’, but taking basic ingredients and making them into something else, something tasty, was surprisingly satisfying. Baking was really fun; I loved making elaborate cakes and icing them, and also experimenting with unusual flavours. There was something comforting about it. No doubt my various therapists would have said it was because it evoked the homeliness and nurturing that I largely missed out on as a child. Maybe they would have been right. Then again, maybe I just liked it.

I also enjoyed cooking savoury dishes – finding out which herbs and spices worked with which fish and types of meat, and thinking up inventive vegetarian and vegan dishes.

And as well as cooking, I learned about ingredients and foraging – how to take dandelions and nettles and turn them into tea or soup, how to search for berries in the hedgerows, even in towns, and work out which ones were safe to eat. How and where to find mushrooms, how to prepare them, how to know which ones were safe. That was my favourite part of the course.

42

January 2020, La Madière, France

Hugo

We are sitting around after yet another board game. Simon is quite drunk now. Inigo is still crying upstairs. Cass is sitting in an armchair flicking through a magazine she doesn’t seem to be reading, in between staring miserably out of the window at the still-falling snow. I am starting to see what Ria means – it is becoming claustrophobic in here.

Millie brings in yet another tray of cake and coffee and sets it down.

‘Everything OK?’ she asks. Everyone murmurs vaguely in assent.

‘It seems unlikely you’ll be able to ski tomorrow, I’m afraid. But the road is due to open later, so hopefully things are improving,’ she adds. ‘Also, I had something I needed to ask you all.’

Everyone looks up, suddenly interested.