Tuesday 14 May 2013

Nanny notes (London, Courchevel) - a potentially fatal ski trip

This nanny tale is about the sort of family that have loads of money, but don't want to spend any of it... Those that can afford to take four children, themselves, plus the help, all skiing to France for a week. But then insist on dinner coming too. Read on... 


Picture this: The family, (mum, dad and four kids) plus me the skivvy nanny, are all packed up and ready to go skiing. A chalet in Courchevel awaits.

Suitcase after suitcase is lined up on the pavement next to the Chelsea des res, waiting for cabs to the airport. 


The kids (8,6,4 & 2years) are excited. Me? Well, behind my smile, I'm gloomily wondering if we're all about to die of food poisoning. You see, half the luggage is frozen food.






A couple of months before the trip, the mum, (let's call her Ninja) had instructed me to begin cooking dinners, enough to fill two freezers worth. 


I diligently set about cooking more and more food. Before long both were full of meals such as soup, lasagne, fish pie, curry etc.


Imagine my amazement the morning we were leaving to go on holiday, when Ninja took three empty suitcases into the garage and filled them with all the frozen food.


Panic surged through me. That's coming with us? Surely it would all begin to defrost? I voiced my concern. Ninja snapped, "Nonsense. It will be fine." 


Stood waiting for the cab, I began to think of the chalet the other end which I presumed (correctly) was going to be a squash and a squeeze to say the least. What if it only had a tiny freezer? Worse still, what if it only had a tiny freezer compartment within a fridge? I grew a pair and asked Ninja what would we do if that was the case? 


"Oh that's simple, we dig a hole in the snow," came her clipped reply. 
She was deadly serious. 





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