Winter Warmers

The key to thriving in colder climes is finding the right fuel. So, as the nights draw in and the mercury drops, we’ve searched the world’s most wondrous wintry destinations to find heartening dishes worth wrapping up for — from Swiss fondue and Tuscan bean soup to German goose and Nepalese dumplings.

- John Gregory-smith, Fiona Sims, Felicity Cloake, Sarah Barrell, Deepti Kapoor, Heather Taylor, Christie Dietz, Carolyn Boyd, John Malathronas & Nicola Trup

SWITZERLAND

FONDUE

Fondue has been a fixture in the Swiss kitchen since the 1960s. Theories abound as to why, some hilarious — such as the rise of swinging (fondues aren’t a solo kind of activity). The Brits followed suit, although we hid our fondue pots as soon as we started measuring our cholesterol. However, the dish actually dates back much further than the swinging ’60s, to a popular Bern cookbook published in 1863. Flavour is everything, and for that you’ll need cheese with a bit of age, which also plays a part in how it melts. You could play it safe, with an equal mix ofgruyère and emmental (some might also add a trashy cheese triangle into the mix forextra creaminess). Purists, however, prefergruyère and vacherin fribourgeois, a blend called ‘moitié-moitié’ (half and half), which prevents any stringiness in the sauce. The wine added plays a part, too: it should be a dry white, preferably a young Swiss chasselas, but failing that a muscadet or similar. The same goes for what to wash it down with. Hot tea is a non-alcoholic alternative to wine, but never chase your fondue with water, as the cheese apparently balls up in your stomach. Other essential flavourings are garlic, nutmeg and black pepper.

WHERE TO START: Lausanne, on Lake Geneva, is home to a rich source of cheesy experiences, from moonlit vineyard walks that end with candlelit alfresco fondues to regular fondue nights at wineries such as Domaine Croix-Duplex. Alternatively, visit Lausanne’s oldest bistro, the atmospheric Pinte Besson, where waiters will tell you not to forget the best part — scraping the crispy bit, sweetly named ‘la religieuse’ (the religious), off the bottom of the pot. shop.croix-duplex.ch pinte-besson.com