The St Moritz Gourmet Food Festival

The 18th edition of Gourmet Festival St Moritz - a five day gastronomy festival celebrating the best of international haute-cuisine begins today (31 January. Until 4 February)

This year the festival sees 10 top European chefs including Thomas Bühner, Alexandre Bourdas and Alfonso Iaccarino, join local chefs in transforming the Upper Engadine region into a culinary Mecca.

Wassim Hallal of Frederikshøj Aarhus restaurant in Denmark is also participating with a series of Gourmet Dinners at the Hotel Waldhaus during the festival; he was recently chosen by René Redzepi of Noma, as one of the best chefs working today and is included in Coco - Phaidon's guide to today's best contemporary chefs and restaurants.

Other highlights from the programme include Chocolate Cult - a series of daily chocolate tastings held by Chef pâtissier Stefan Gerberand - and the legendary Funky Kitchen Party, where knife and fork-equipped guests taste food directly from sizzling frying pans.

Evening wine and champagne tastings, mountain lunches and Gourmet Safaris are also on the festival's agenda over the five days.

Feasting culminates with the Great Valser Gourmet Final at Mathis Food Affairs on Corviglia on the final evening. Participating chefs will unite in preparing the final meal where each guest prepares a course in his personal style.  In such scenic surroundings, and at an altitude of 2,486m, it's sure to end on a high.

Malgorzata Stankiewicz