Dinner with Leonard

When a life sized tweed camel named Leonard stands proudly outside the Michelin starred restaurant, you get the feeling that this evening is going to delight you in ways that you never knew would be possible. And that's exactly what happened when Charlie and I dined at Leonards restaurant within Le Grand Bellevue in Gstaad.

Helmed by Chef Urs Gschwend, who earned a Michelin star at the hotel's restaurant, the menu consists of bistro style modern and contemporary dishes, which are Swiss twists on international favourites. Easily the most sought after menu in Gstaad, possibly even in the whole of Switzerland, Charlie and I eagerly anticipated our first Michelin Star dining experience outside of the UK.

What I Wore

Dress by ASOS   |   Bag by Rebecca Minkoff   |   Shoes by Next   |   Sunglasses by Jeepers Peepers

The evening started with cocktails on the hotel's beautiful terrace area, we enjoyed the berry infused Bellevue Smash made with Tanqueray Gin, Chambard, Raspberries, Blackberries and Lime juice as well as the refreshing home made Iced Tea while soaking in the dramatic views of the surrounding Alps.

After a teaser course of melt-in-the-mouth salmon, Charlie and I tucked into our starters. Upon recommendation of Daniel, the owner, I chose the poached Gstaad Egg, on a bed on spinach, Hollandaise sauce and chives - easily the greatest egg dish I've ever tried. It was hard to imagine how essentially a fancy take on the breakfast classic could be made into a Michelin Star worthy starter, but we soon discovered that anything is possible at Le Grand Bellevue. Before I'd even asked Charlie how he was enjoying his Scottish Salmon tartare, the plate was completely clean, so I'd say he found it pretty good!

In need of some warming comfort food (after a really tough day at the spa... you know how it is) I opted for the Picada Aquerello Risotto, with chorizo and green peas. Much like Charlie's starter, it was gone far too quickly, leaving a delicious tingle from the many flavours lurking on my palette. Charlie's Tagliata of beef sirloin was cooked to absolute perfection, and unlike in many luxury eateries, there was plenty of meat within the serving to satisfy his hunger pangs.

It's only because we enjoyed the ambience of Leonards Restaurant for a leisurely two hour dinner that we even had room for deserts, and they were certainly worth making room for! I opted for the Romanoff, similar to an Eton Mess in style, it consisted of Strawberries, home-made vanilla ice cream and meringues created from Gruy�re, and lots of double cream. It's a good job it was so delicious, because Charlie's Chocolate Parfait looked like all my dreams come true in chocolate form. He informed me that it truly was as good as it looked.

Luckily we didn't have far to roll walk after our meal, and we retired to our room extremely satisfied from our scrumptious meal and incredible experience at Leonards.

Alpine Adventure

Nightwear by Marks & Spencer

On Saturday morning, we rose bright and early, enjoying a peaceful cup of coffee in our (ridiculously comfortable) bed before making our way down for breakfast. Sitting outside, enjoying the fresh mountain air, Charlie and I enjoyed a bowl of home made berry Bircher Muesli, followed by a made-to-order plate of American pancakes, complete with crispy bacon and maple syrup. Charlie's Eggs Florentine did incur some slight food envy, but our day's activities meant that I had no remorse for clocking up the calories at breakfast time!

We took a taxi to the small nearby town of Launen, before embarking on the scenic walk to the majestic lake of Launensee. Every corner we turned revealed another postcard perfect vista. Against a crisp blue sky, the peaks of the surrounding Alps were sprinkled with just a hint of snow, dominating the landscape. Wild flowers were everywhere, and traditional Swiss chalets dotted across the fields. Charlie and I abandoned Google Maps (sorry, we're city folk!) and followed the trail signs pointing us in the right direction towards the lakes.

After almost two hours of wandering across fields, over waterfalls and through small towns, we came across the opening that we had been aiming for, and it took us no time at all to decide that the lake looked far too inviting not to jump in. I wore my Peter Pilotto swimming costume, and changed into my Superdry dress after drying off in the sun.

We spent the remainder of the afternoon in Gstaad, the Swiss ski resort in the heart of the Bernese Oberland that is quite unlike any other ski town. In place of dowdy knitwear shops and Intersport, there's a Louis Vuitton, Hublot and Prada. With the likes of Madonna, George Clooney and Valentino frequenting the resort, the place is a magnet for the super rich, and it's not hard to see why.

Back at Le Grand Bellevue, there was no time to change before our dinner reservation at Le Petite Chalet.  The charming log cabin located on the edge of the grounds of the Bellevue, it exclusively seats just 20 diners. Even in the middle of Summer, we instantly fell for the Swiss charm of the chalet, with it's log fire, Edelweiss printed table linens, and rustic pots and pans hanging from the walls. Serving the traditional Swiss dish of cheese fondue (we chose Vacherin & Gruyere, but there's also goat's cheese or truffle fondue on the menu) as well as the regional dish of raclette; firm cows milk cheese which is melted and then you scrape off and enjoy the delicious melted top layer.

The fondues were prepared before our eyes, and both the fondue and raclette were set up on our table, so that Charlie and I could perfect our bread and meat dunking, setting each other forfeits for any food that fell into the molten cheese.

We headed back to our room for an early night, ready for another day of Swiss adventures tomorrow.