Riding at the rear end of one of the most rickety jeeps ever on a rocky terrain on a wet, slippery day can be an adventure. More so if you are driving, or rather bouncing, through one of the most picturesque regions in the world. Snowcapped mountain peaks stretching out in the horizon, with thick clouds playing hide and seek, rolling mountains with a thick cover of lush green pines of different varieties, flowers providing a riot of colour and contrasting with the green.

Even as the eye takes in all this as we make our way to Paul Julen’s 250-acre farm in the Pennine Alpine region of Switzerland’s Valais Canton, one arm desperately holds on to the jeep.

“Has anybody fallen out yet? Those who go out stay out”, is the cheerful statement of Hubert, who introduces himself as the Chef-Cum-Chauffeur of the Julen family. A Frenchman, he left his country 24 years ago to work as an Executive Chef in some of the best hotels in Zermatt, at the foot of the Matterhorn peak in the Alps. “But a few years ago, I got bored and came away to the mountains; life here is tough but exciting”, he shrugs, as his jeep negotiates what is only a hiking route and not a road.

Julen runs three hotels in Zermatt and one of the most enchanting and romantic restaurants - Restaurant Stafelap – higher up in the mountains and close to his farm. But before the delicious lunch that Hubert has prepared for us at this gourmet restaurant, we have to visit the sheep. After a 3-4 km jeep ride that comes close to rattling the bones, we gingerly alight, and follow Julen on a short 15- minute hike through more rocks and mountain brooks – not an easy task, balancing with an umbrella in one hand and a camera in the other - to the area where the unique black-nosed sheep are fenced.

We watch in awe as wooden planks for the temporary and portable fence which were stored on top of the jeep and which added to the rattle of our vehicle, are quickly put around the sheep.

Normally, explains Julen, these animals are allowed to roam free.

“And that makes the vegetation of the Alps so unique and so rich in herbs. 

When you put the sheep, or cows, in a small space, they eat up all the grass. But when these sheep have so many acres to roam freely in, they eat only a bit of the grass as they can move around freely”.

Amazingly, this has a big effect on the quality and taste of the meet, says Julen. “when the animal is stressed the meat is not so tender or tasty. We know the difference when we serve the meat in other restaurants and up here in the mountains”.

As he tells us more about his sheep – including the oncoming beauty pageant for “Miss Zermatt” – the nose has to be really black, not dark grey, the black bands on the legs have to be a certain way, and the winner will be picked on how perfect her walk is! – Hubert has expertly made a shift to his Chef role.

Pulling out a huge and bony chunk of air-dried lamb meat, he expertly takes out slivers, which are then served to us with the tastiest of rye bread – baked with raisins, hazel nut and walnut -, cheese and wine (in little plastic cups of course; not a single wine glass would survive that rickety, rollicking ride). That little treat, enjoyed under the umbrella, with a light drizzle and a gentle wind making the place so romantic, will linger in the memory for a long time.

To air-dry that piece of lamb has taken a full 75 days; the meat is delicious…and unstressed...and so are we! 

The writer was in Switzerland on an invitation from Swiss Tourism.

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