There is nothing quite like the aroma of melting Raclette cheese as you trudge in out of the belowfreezing night to the heat of a cosy fire-lit mountainside chalet restaurant. Or the thought of that spiced vin chaud you will relish when you have finished your skiing for the day; perfect for warming the hands, and the cockles of your heart.

A salade du Berger was what I really enjoyed one day for lunch at a great mountain-top restaurant in France. It consisted of salad leaves which were dressed in three parts olive oil to one part cider vinegar, with a good drizzle of honey to sweeten. And on top of the salad was a big cushion of melted goats' cheese which had been wrapped in a slice of bacon (ie streaky rasher). The rasher was first cooked on its own, then wrapped around about 50g of goats' cheese, before going into a hot oven for two or three minutes till warm and almost molten, then placed on the dressed salad.

Scatter the salad with croutons (little cubes of bread, tossed in olive oil and toasted in a hot oven till golden), and serve.

Divine.

Of course, you must know that fondue is seriously fashionable again (though for the French and Swiss it never went out), so anyone who received a set for a wedding present years ago and put it in the back of a kitchen cupboard, take it out and use it.

Fondue or raclette for big casual supper parties are great fun and could not be easier to prepare. You do not need a starter, all you need to serve with them is a lovely fresh green salad with a French dressing, which acts as the perfect foil for the richness. And for dessert, something very light like fruit tossed in a little lime or lemon juice with a drizzle of honey.

If you do not already have a fondue set you can pick one up in Arnotts, which stocks the very good Le Creuset brand, 98, though now on special offer with 20% off. Tel: 01 8050400 or arnotts. ie. They also stock a Tefal raclette machine for 54 less 20%.

You can also find both fondue pots and raclette machines on www. shopireland. ie, like the Chasseur cast-iron classic fondue set for 45.

Vin chaud (hot wine with spices) Each cafe and restaurant on the slopes has its own secret recipe for vin chaud.

One bottle of dry, fruity red wine 50ml creme de cassis, brandy or port Finely grated zest of half a lemon and half an orange Good pinch of grated nutmeg Two cinnamon sticks Six whole cardamom pods Six cloves Place all the ingredients in a saucepan and very gently simmer (do not boil) for about five-10 minutes to let the flavours of the spices infuse. Pour into glasses and serve each with a slice of orange in the glass and sugar on the side, though if you prefer to put the sugar into the pot with the other ingredients you will need about 50-100g.

Raclette Serves 4 Raclette is both the name of a semi-soft Savoyard cheese (from the region of Savoie) and a traditional dish in which slices of the cheese were put on the hearth near a glowing fire .

The firm rind forms a frame for the soft warm cheese. Diners gather around with plates, knives and forks in hand and a bowl of boiled potatoes. As the surface of the cheese melts, it is scraped off, spread across the potatoes and eaten with gusto.

Today, most people use electric raclette machines at the table and each diner helps him or herself to cheese to melt on their own little handled tray under the raclette grill, which they then enjoy with hot boiled potatoes, a selection of charcuterie, (like various hams, salamis and cured ham like parma) cornichons (baby gherkins) and tomatoes. This, like a cheese fondue, is great fun for a big casual supper party.

Eight-12 boiled potatoes 500g Raclette cheese . . . I have used the Irish Gubeen cheese for this too A selection of charcuterie, tomatoes, cornichons Black pepper in a mill Tartiflette This dish is a staple of all those chalet restaurants that dot the French ski slopes. Like the raclette and the cheese fondue, it is rich, cheesy and divine;

basically it is an amazing potato gratin with wedges of creamy Reblochon cheese and lardons of bacon in it. It can, of course, be prepared in advance. Serve with a good green salad.

1.25kg potatoes One onion, sliced 25g butter or two tbsp olive oil 250g lardons (little pieces about 1/2 cm x 2cms) bacon, salt and pepper One Reblochon (about 350g) Peel the potatoes, boil until almost cooked, drain and cool. Sweat the onion in the butter or the olive oil until soft. Add the bacon lardons, and cook for a few more minutes until cooked and slightly golden. Set aside.

Butter a gratin dish.

Slice the potatoes about half cm thick and arrange half of them in the dish, season with salt and pepper. Then add half of the onions and bacon, add the remaining potatoes and finish off with the last of the onions and bacon. Spread the creme fraiche on top.

Cut the Reblochon into wedges (with the rind still on) and arrange on top.

Bake in an oven preheated to 1900C, gas mark 5, for about 20-30 minutes, or until the cheese looks golden, melted and bubbly.

Serve immediately.

Fondue Savoyard Serves 4 There are not many coldweather suppers better than this: pieces of bread dipped into molten cheese.

Though fun (and handy for large numbers) as fondue sets are, you can make a fondue for two in a saucepan on a very low flame on the hob and eat it right beside the cooker or a camping stove. You need a good white yeast bread for this, and, again, charcuterie and gherkins are nice on the side; but not essential.

The key is not to let your fondue boil.

Don't forget that if your piece of bread falls off your fork you have to kiss the person to your left, so it is important to position yourself very carefully.

One clove garlic, peeled and cut in half 300ml Savoie white wine, or any other light, dry white wine 450g Beaufort /Gruyere/ Raclette cheese, or a mixture of all three, grated Pinch of grated nutmeg Pepper 50ml Kirsch One loaf of really good white yeast bread, or even a sourdough, cut into 2cm cubes Rub the inside of a medium-sized pot with the garlic, then discard the garlic. Add the wine to the pot and bring to the boil over a high heat. Reduce the heat to medium and gradually add the cheese, stirring constantly to melt it, with a wooden spoon . . .

do not allow to boil.

Continue to cook for a few more minutes, add nutmeg, pepper and Kirsch and transfer to a fondue pot (if using one).

Serve a basket with cubes of bread on the table, and fondue forks or just plain forks, and let everyone help themselves to bread and, using forks, dip pieces of bread into the cheese. Keep a wooden spoon in the fondue, and stir it every now and then.

Add a little more wine if it gets too thick.

Handy hints >> All the cheeses I have mentioned are available at Sheridan's Cheesemongers in Dublin or Galway . . .

www. sheridanscheesemonge rs. com. For a cheese fondue using Irish cheese, Desmond or Gabriel cheeses, made in west Cork by Bill Hogan will give you the most amazing fondue ever . . . this was recommended to me by the staff at Sheridan's, and they are right.

>> A plain green salad with French dressing is the perfect foil for the richness of the raclette, tartiflette and cheese fondue, so serve one of these too.

Best book 'Roast Figs, Sugar Snow, Food to Warm the Soul', published by Mitchell Beazley.

Food writer Diana Henry has spent five years travelling round the chillier parts of Europe and North America, and has put together a wonderful collection of cold-weather recipes;

including fondue Savoyard and tartiflette.