Here at MissMalini, the team is always on the move, scoping out things to add to your must-do lists. Looking for a great excuse for a road trip? Love food? The next edition of the Pune Farmers’ Market is scheduled on 27 October 2013 at The Westin, Pune. It showcases a wide range of organic products, fresh produce, and types of cheese, meats, wines, spirits along with a large variety of food.
My friends and I have packed into cars and headed to Pune, not once but twice, as PFM takes place every two months and they just keep getting bigger and better! Here are the five things I loved about the Pune Farmers’ Market:
1. The Westin
If you have ever stayed at the Westin, you know how hard it is to leave the room. Between their signature Westin Heavenly Bed® and the gigantic bathtubs, I was tempted to play sick and skip the rest of the weekend. If you do manage to pry yourself out of the bed, the Heavenly Spa is a must visit. I highly recommend the renewal massage.
2. Foodies Galore
I’ve come to the realization that food is the common ground for most of my friendships. Aren’t I lucky to have such lovely, hungry souls surrounding me?
3. Pune Food Trail
Jayesh Paranjape of The Western Routes was kind enough to show us around a side of Pune I have never seen before. Here’s where and what we ate while on the food trail:
Stop 1: Bedekar Tea Stall or more famously Bedekar Misal. Ate: Misal accompanied with buttermilk, kokam sharbat and a range of sweets like chirota and 3 different types of laddoos.
Stop 2: New Sweet Home, Kumthekar Road. Ate: Sabudana Wadas along with Ukdiche Modak.
Stop 3: Sujata Mastani Ate: Mango & Sitaphal Mastani
Stop 4: Good Luck Café Ate: Tea, Bun Maska and Caramel Custard.
4. Demonstrations
I’m a self-confessed cooking show addict, so you can imagine how excited I was at the idea of live demonstrations. The first time around, I had the pleasure of listening to India’s youngest wine maker, Kailash Gurnani, speak on wine and the future of York Winery. The second time around, I jumped on stage and did a rather shabby job at assisting Pooja Dhingra of Le 15 Patisserie make her famous macaroons.
5. The Food
I went home with a massive bag of fresh produce, cheeses, and sauces. The pomegranate jam from Ellipsis and the passion fruit sparkling goodness from The Good Juicery are must buys!
Huge thank you to Afsha Khan, Aneesh Bhasin, Pooja Dhingra and Vidyuth Singh for sharing your photos!