’Tis the season for merriment and joy and as we gather with family and friends, there’s special warmth in homemade treats. Home chefs and cloud kitchens from Kolkata are whipping up some festive goodies that range from dessert items to savouries. My Kolkata curates a selection of the ‘Bara Din’ bounty…
Homemade wine at A Taste of Home
You get three types of wine — raisin, ginger and rice
Sharon and Dale Mogose began their seasonal cloud kitchen, A Taste of Home, in 2021. They offer three types of wine — raisin, ginger and rice. The raisin wine is a dry wine with a few notes of ginger while the ginger wine is a spiced wine made with chillies and different spices. The rice wine is more complex and tastes almost like whisky. While Sharon makes the wine, Dale does everything else. They also have jams and pickles on offer for their Christmas menu.
Top picks: Raisin Wine, Dry Prawn Balchao, Apple Jam
Contact: 918334967016
Chocolates and more at Vana’s Treats
Chocolates, chocolates and more chocolates...
This Christmas, Vana’s Treats has a special menu that offers cute chocolate, Christmas trees, reindeer and Santa along with freshly baked Christmas fruit cake. You can also enjoy homemade chilled grape wine.
Run by Picnic Garden resident Lesleyann Pereira and her daughter Ivana, Vana’s Treats comes up with a Christmas menu every year. Lesleyann says, “My daughter has this passion for trying out new tit bits every year. So between the both of us we make, bake and sell. We like to keep it simple; orders come in from family, friends and word of mouth. The best is always kept for last — my dad’s grape wine which is tasty, smooth and delicious… a must-try for all!”
Top picks: Santa Christmas tree, snowman-chocolates, grape wine and ginger wine
Contact: Lesleyann Pereira on 9007104432
Sweets and savouries at Swati’s Boutique Kitchen
Swati stands out for her year-round specialities like Italian Spiced Chicken Salami and Tandoori Masala Chicken Sausages
Run by homechef Swati Banerjee, Swati’s Boutique Kitchen has a range of ring cakes, cookies and waffles to offer this festive season. The showstopper of her menu continues to be her homemade chicken sausages and salami. A food stylist turned homechef, Swati stands out for her year-round specialities like Italian Spiced Chicken Salami and Tandoori Masala Chicken Sausages. New additions this year include Spiced Ginger Caramel Cookies and Cinnamon and Vanilla Waffles.
Top picks: Spiced and Caramel Cookies, Italian Spiced Chicken Salami, Tandoori Masala Sausages
How to order: Call 9831248042 to place your order 2-3 days in advance
Anglo Indian delights at Goppoburir Henshel
These three dishes originate from the British era, seamlessly adapted in India post-colonisation
Started in 2020 by three friends, Arijit Mandal, Arnab Thakur and Sanhita Thakur, cloud kitchen Goppoburir Henshel firmly believes that food travels through folklore. As an ode to Christmas in Kolkata, Goppoburir Henshel has curated its menu “Shahebiyana”. “Kolkata Christmas has strong influence of the colonial past and the menu is about the food of the sahibs of the bygone era. Three dishes are featured which belong to the British era and adapted in India after colonisation,” they said.
The cloud kitchen is offering Mutton Junglee Pulao, Country Captain Chicken Curry and Prawn Bhuna. According to Mandal, the exotic pulao with winter vegetables and mutton chunks was a delectable dish during the colonial era. The dish was adapted to the Indian palette with aromatic spices which was served to the British officers who were stationed in different parts of India in daak bungalows. The chicken curry dish has its roots during the colonial era by a British sea captain who originally introduced the dish in Charleston and later went down to Savannah. While the prawn bhuna is a typical Anglo-Indian dish which was introduced by British settlers in India and the recipe is still prevalent in the kitchens of bow barracks.
Top picks: Mutton Junglee Pulao, Country Captain Chicken Curry and Prawn Bhuna
How to order: Orders to be placed by December 22, 2023 for delivery on December 24. Contact 9831065904/ 9830565903
Sanjana's Bakeshell
Taste a delightful mix of Christmas cakes, rum balls, brownies, and cookies, complemented by savoury delights like ham and cheese bread, sausage rolls, puffs and more
Check out home bakery Sanjana’s Bakeshell, overseen by chef Sanjana Saha, where delish sweet and savoury treats await. Their Christmas menu has a good mix of Christmas cakes, rum balls, brownies and cookies along with savouries like ham and cheese bread, sausage rolls, puffs and more. Chef Sanjana, a seasoned Continental chef, embarked on her home bakery journey in 2020. Having trained in France and USA, she says, “Though my expertise lies in Continental cuisine, baking became my passion. My stint in the bakery department in France exposed me to the diversity of items. When I started my home bakery, I decided to introduce something new every season, focusing on celebration cakes.”
Top picks: Christmas Brownies, Sausage Rolls, Creamy Mushroom and Chicken Puffs
Contact: 8240953376 to pre-order
