Growing up in Coonoor | The Bakery Edition

By Nisha Ravi

I grew up in Coonoor. 

For the largest chunk of my life nobody quite knew where that was. It was often confused with Kannur. And I would always have to mention Ooty for geographical placement purposes.

But today, Coonoor has left an indelible mark in the travel list, thanks to a bunch of movies that shot this quieter relative of the busy, noisy and the ever popular romantic destination Ooty, to fame. Right from Mani Ratnam's Roja to a more recent Kapoor & Sons, Ajab Prem ki Gazab Kahani to the iconic 'Chaiyya Chaiyya' on a toy train weaving through Wellington, Coonoor has witnessed its fair share of stardom.

I grew up in Coonoor, when going from Lower Coonoor to Upper Coonoor felt like a day's work. When weaving your way through the tiny lanes of the market was an enthralling affair which often ended in me being lost in the melee of people, next to large heaps of spices. I grew up in Coonoor when wood fire and fireplaces were a lower class thing. I grew up in Coonoor where at 6am if you decided to take a walk, which a lot of people did, you’d be breathing in an aromatic cocktail of eucalyptus laced fresh air and the most delicious scent of breads and pastries, baking away. I grew up in Coonoor known for top quality homemade chocolates. Every nook and corner has a reputable collection of flavoured barks studded with just about everything from candied ginger, red chilli flakes to apricots, peaches, nuts, edible resins etc. 

Coonoor was and still is dotted with tiny bakeries that make fresh breads, pastries, buns from scratch. If you are lucky, you can watch sleepy faces carrying trays and trays of fresh, warm sponge cakes in the perfect colour of fawn, to be iced and displayed at the crack of dawn behind shut bakery facades.

One of the most popular Nilgiris bakery snack is the beloved ‘varkey’, a perfectly crumbly yet dense puff pastry, sugary and salty, crisp and moist all at once. A century old twist to the British biscuit, it is truly a delight and something I am asked to bring in dozens when I make my journey back home. 

A very popular bakery in Lower Coonoor is Crown Bakery and you guessed it, it was indeed a name recommended by Queen Elizabeth upon her visit. They have been operational since 1880. Fresh loaves of bread, cookies, savoury snacks are all made in a traditional wood fire oven. Walking into this now slightly rundown bakery is like walking into a time capsule. Huge bell jars sit on counter tops stuffed to the brim with cookies in all shapes and sizes. Loaves and loaves of bread adorn the back shelf, fresh and ready to be sliced upon order. Vintage clocks and other memorabilia can be seen lying about in a true vintage sense. 

And they make the best honey cake and varkeys in town. 

If the best homemade chocolates and the most decadent fudge was what you desired, then Modern Stores in Ooty was the place to be. Modern Stores has recently started a branch on Barlow road in Bedford. But for me, growing up, a trip to Ooty meant eating at Shinkow’s, only the best Chinese restaurant in the world, and of course making a beeline for Modern Stores on Garden Road to stuff my face with chocolate fudge. Not that the other bakery items are not worth mentioning but the fudge. The fudge is just the best. 

So what did I do when Ooty was not such a frequent affair? 

We went to Needs. Needs Bakery in Wellington was a hop, skip and jump from my house, an Army accommodation. And if you know anybody whose parents worked in the forces and if they were ever posted to Wellington, the cantonment area of Coonoor, then they will definitely know Needs. 

And if they do not gush about it, you can change my name. 

I practically lived at Needs. I went there everyday. Twice at least. Once right after school on my way back home and once in the evening to grab a quick something to nibble on at tea time. Let me start by saying that the homemade chocolates here are to die for. But that’s not all. The owner’s (late) Shrichand Uncle and Kamala Aunty, carefully curated a slightly more fun menu for their ever popular bakery. It was a touch more modern for the time. A touch more British too. 

You could find the most scrumptious sausage rolls, delightful flaky puffs, meat pies, Cornish pasties, tarts, Japanese pastries, cream rolls, cream horns, cake rolls, Swiss rolls and the most decadent pastries in all flavours. A delightful spread of cookies, cheesy pull aparts, and oh my god, the bestest doughnuts. Fuss free, homemade doughnut buns, dunked in high quality chocolate. Nothing else. Absolutely heavenly. 

I don’t have to tell you that the produce in Nilgiris is absolute magic. If you are thinking Ooty carrots, you are thinking right. The variety of fruits – otherworldly and by that I mean as British as they can be. Peaches, plums, strawberries, grapes, rhubarb. And every single thing is turned into a jam or a pickle. I can proudly tell you that I have never had to touch a bottle of Kissan mixed fruit jam because every household stocked up on strawberry preserves with whole strawberries, chilli plum jams, rhubarb and ginger relish, peach sauces and what not. And if you visit me, till date, you'll find jars of these in my fridge.

And ever so often today, when I sit in my Bangalore apartment and sift through Swiggy to fulfil a sugar craving, those doughnuts and cakes and pastries and treats come to mind. It’s a good thing, home is close by and I go as often as I do. Coonoor's current popularity worries me. It's only a matter of time that these quaint, old, historical bakeries and stores get knocked down to accommodate the throng of tourists and I sincerely hope the owners of properties, bakeries, shops and homes remember to retain this slice of heaven, as best as they can. The real life 'The Archies' movie conundrum is here minus that exaggerated drama, of course.