Mouthful of goodness: The finest of artisanal chocolate and cheese in India

When it comes to artisanal cheese, India is still a young market, says globe-trotting cheese expert Aditya Raghavan. But, “a niche market in India can also be quite big,” he says. And thanks to cheesemakers like the people at Bengaluru’s Begum Victoria, where double-creamed brie is lovingly flipped for 21 days straight, this niche market is steadily growing. The craving to break away from imported cheese out of supermarket freezers has also expressed itself in India’s reaction to gourmet chocolates, which explains why Chennai-based Cocoatrait has about 190 subscriptions for boxes of fine chocolates curated by chocolatier L Nitin Chordia. These boxes range between Rs 1,299 and Rs 11,599. In a world where price is no bar, Nikita Puri and Amrita Singh dig in to find artisanal favourites

Bespoke beauties 
 

*All Things

Jaipur-based Kuhu Kochar and Tejasvi Chandela’s bespoke bars, branded All Things, have amassed a following for their taste and packaging. And while they’ve happily customised flavours such as strawberry mini-macaroons with champagne candy, they’ve also put their foot down when asked for a combination of gulkand and white chocolate. Off the shelf, their utterly giftable covers draw you in and indulgences like biscotti keep you there. All Things Jaipur, for instance, is 64 per cent Malabar Dark with rose and pistachio, with whimsical drawings of the Pink City’s forts on the cover. All Things Monday is topped with granola and comes in a box that looks like a shirt, along with a to-do list. Averaging at Rs 350, get these at gourmet stores or order online on www.theallthingsshop.com. Minimum order for customisation is 100 bars.

No dairy please 
 

*Mason & co
 

Somewhere along a red dirt road, not far from Matrimandir in Auroville, is the headquarters of Mason & Co whose single-origin bean-to-bar bestsellers include a chocolate bar with 70 per cent sea salt and another with 75 per cent orange zest in them. The brand started when Australian yoga instructor and raw food chef, Jane Mason, moved to Auroville and realised it was hard to get chocolates that were in line with her vegan and organic diet. All the bars are priced at Rs 295. Available in 120 stores across India, you can also order online through www.masonchocolate.com

India all the way
 

*Chitra’m
 

If there’s one thing Arun Viswanathan understands, it’s how nostalgia and food trends help sell chocolates. How else can he explain his green chilli and raw mango chocolates being completely sold out at a fair in Amsterdam earlier this week, or why his lemon white chocolate, featuring the superfood moringa, is in demand, as is the turmeric and black pepper dark chocolate? When he isn’t running Infusions, a café in Coimbatore, Viswanathan is busy making India-inspired chocolates under his brand, Chitra’m, and winning laurels internationally. His award-winning bean-to-bar creations include a 70 per cent palm sugar dark chocolate and a mango lassi white chocolate. He’ll launch chocolates with floral infusions as well as traditional Indian sweets soon. Those in Coimbatore can pick up the bars, priced around Rs 250, from Infusions or call 9843806006 for deliveries. While Vishwanathan hopes to go national soon, these are only in Coimbatore for now.

Ganache panache 
 

*Parriez
 

Thirty years after they last met, school buddies Praveen Grover and Vikas Kuthiala bonded over the art of making chocolates and started Parriez Handcrafted Gourmet Chocolates in 2016.  Parriez, meaning “divine offering for the gods”, is a ganache-centered dark chocolate available in flavours such as blackberry, chili, mint and coffee. Bite-sized, these are created in Grover’s home in Gurugram. Relying on word-of-mouth marketing, both Kuthiala and Grover are conscious of their reputation and their studio is open to hosting you. You won’t find these handcrafted chocolates in a retail store as their philosophy is “cauldron fresh”, which means they make chocolates only when an order is placed. This explains the popularity they see during weddings and festivals. Armani and Louis Vuitton are some of the brands they’ve worked with. Boxes (with four to 35 pieces) start upwards of Rs 300. Vegan and no-sugar options are also available. Visit www.parriez.com for more.

Fruits of the earth
 

*Naviluna

A search for sun and cricket, in a place other than his homeland of South Africa, brought London-resident David Bello to Mysuru almost seven years ago. And he’s been here ever since, churning out small batches of handcrafted, gourmet chocolates alongside Angelika Anangnostou at Naviluna Artisan Chocolate. Their sustainably sourced bean-to-bar brand was previously known as Earth Loaf, which was Bello’s bakery back in London.

Their top-notch collection includes a dark chocolate with caramelised sweet lime and caraway seeds, and another with cacao that has been aged in American oak whisky barrels. Special during monsoons, their jamun chocolates always sell out quickly. All bars are priced at Rs 330. Pick them up in gourmet stores or place an order through www.earthloaf.co.in

Hold my beer 
 

*Spotted Cow
 

Passionate about all things food, Prateeksh Mehra had been brewing beer and attempting to pair it with cheese when he decided to experiment with making the cheese himself. A year later, in 2014, Mehra’s homemade cheese was a big hit at a two-day food festival in Mumbai, and thus was born The Spotted Cow Fromagerie. Today, besides well-travelled locals, expatriates and Indians who have lived abroad, hotel chains such as the Oberoi Group and Marriott International count among Mehra’s loyalists as they feast on his brie and camambay (a version of the French camembert cheese). With prices starting at Rs 250 for 150 grams of cheese, order at www.thespottedcow.in or stop at a gourmet grocery store.

Cheese from the Valley 
 

*Himalayan Cheese
 

Chris Zandee found his way to India from the Netherlands in 2003, and after realising the abundance of milk here, decided to make the very best of it by launching Himalayan Cheese. Since 2006, sourcing milk from Kashmir’s free-grazing cows, Zandee began making both European cheese (gouda and cheddar) and Kalari or the “mozzarella of Kashmir”.”I don’t want to make soft cheese,” says Zandee, citing transportation and cold-storage issues even as he air-freights cheese to Taj Hotels, ITC Hotels and the Lalit Hotels. Zandee is now working on perfecting his mascarpone and feta, but till then one can get the rest from superstores or from his website, www.himalayancheese.com

Betwixt prayers
 

*Vallambrosa cheese
 

Since 2004, Benedictine monks of the Vallambrosian Order have been supplying restaurants and hotel chains like The Park, JWT Marriott and Sheraton with cheese in Bengaluru. It all started when Father Michael, a Malayali who speaks fluent Italian, got back from the Italian town of Vallambrosa and needed to find a livelihood for his band of brothers, all priests. Between aged parmesan and cheddar and fresh cheeses such as mozzarella, bocconcini, ricotta and mascarpone, these priests whip up 10 types of cheese, largely from buffalo milk. While you can pick up their cheese from Vallambrosa Cheese Shop, K R Puram in Bengaluru, home deliveries require a minimum order of 1 kg. Retail prices start at Rs 800 for 1kg of cheese. Call 9845449064.

Alpine expectations 
 

*Begum Victoria
 

After a string of well-loved restaurants, Manu Chandra, executive chef of Olive Beach, has now added another feather to his cap. Along with fromagères Shruti Golchha and Pooja Reddy, Chandra has recently launched Begum Victoria, a home of Alpine-styled cheeses made from A2 milk sourced from Hallikar cows. Ageing in their cheese cave is a double-cream brie, a bel paese that has a beautiful propriety orange rind, a cloth-bound cheddar, a full-flavoured fontina, besides gruyère and feta. There are even plans to introduce Bangalore blue cheese. Get a platter complete with pineapple and rum jam, port wine mustard, guava jelly, fresh figs, smoked honey and crackers at Bengaluru’s Toast & Tonic for Rs 595 plus taxes, or call Begum Victoria at 9886377853 for deliveries in the city for cheese priced upwards of Rs 350 per 200 grams.