10 years ago, I was approached by a lovely couple by the names of Denis & Marianne whose love of the Three Valleys and passion for good food and socialising had led them to purchase a much loved Méribel venue for which they needed a manager. After hearing their vision, for what I soon found out was Lodge du Village, I was convinced that it was something I wanted to be part of, and so I took the plunge, excited to take on a new challenge… and what a challenge it turned out to be!

The first obstacle: how do you take something that was so loved by so many people and turn it into something even better without losing their support? We didn’t want to be the same place; we wanted people to know it had changed while still keeping the same fun spirit that had made LDV (as everyone knew it as back then) the legendary venue it was.

Secondly, how do you shake the reputation as being “The English Place” that serves good value, tasty food but that wasn’t really setting anyone’s culinary world alight and was largely overlooked by Méribel locals?

Thirdly, how do you make après ski bigger and better than it already was? Everyone who remembers LDV pre-2014 remembers the massive après skis in the bar where you could barely fit in the door, but when you did, you were greeted by a sea of dancing revellers as steam billowed out as the cold air rushed in!

It was a daunting task, not least because we only had two months before our first winter season was upon us and because there was so much that we wanted and had to be done. Regardless, we dived in head first into our new venture, creating a fresh restaurant concept “La Terrasse du Village” downstairs, recruiting a team for what was still the unknown, building a bar in the restaurant where there had never been one, and just the small matter of a refurb of the entire building… not bad for two months’ work!

Of course, the journey was not without its hiccups, particularly at the start, but 10 years later, at least three complete refurbs and a whole lot of staff changes, we are barely recognisable as the venue we first walked into! The business has grown beyond all our expectations; we are the only business in Méribel open (and busy!) 365 days a year with a massive local customer base as well as returning clients from around the world; we employ 12 year-round staff who create and deliver new delicious seasonal menus four times a year; we have a heaving après ski out on our terrace every day of the winter under our massive umbrella, serving 40,000 litres of beer, 8,000 Apérol spritzes, and 2,000 bottles of rosé from our little outdoor bar; and a reputation that we can be really proud of.

We could not have done it without the incredible team we’ve had around us past and present, of whom there are too many to mention, the support of the wonderful owners, all of the unbelievably talented musicians and bands that have played here, and of course, you, our amazing customers!

We are by no means finished. We are always looking ahead at new ways to improve and develop the business, and we have plenty of exciting surprises for you to look forward to for our 10th anniversary winter season.

Watch this space and thank you again to every single one of you that has been involved and supported us over the past 10 years.