Burra din turkeys, puddings and more

on where to buy the Butterballs.

This week, I've been reading an amusing article on how restaurateurs in London are now turning out turkey tikkas for the festivities.

Apparently, these are in great demand too. In our own cities though "" and despite the fact that Indian Christmas celebrations have their own gourmet associations; kul kuls, bebinca and gujiyas not necessarily foreign birds "" the hunt is pretty much on for the perfect Butterball.

And turkeys are indeed tough to come by as both expats and indulging Indians will tell you. On the other hand, you'll find enough mince pies, plum puddings, stollen, cookies, and even glazed Christmas ham, beer-bathed and thinly sliced, at home, at friends' but also in an increasing number of restaurants and shops. So which are the best places to buy your Christmas goodies from?

Glazed ham and treats
In Delhi, the Oberoi's Gourmet Shoppe is a well-known, though expensive, address for all fine things. This year, it tempts you with gingerbread houses, chocolate Santas and puddings but also assorted gourmet cheeses and hand-rolled pastas to customise hampers.

But definitely worth the splurge could be the honey-glazed ham (Rs 1,400 per kg), the whole poached salmon (Rs 1,800) and of course, the whole imported Butterball turkey (Rs 1,450 per kg; a whole bird would be at least about 5 kg, says food consultant Manu Mohindra).

Other usual places to check out the turkey (and ham and cheeses) are the two neighbours in Jor Bagh market, Pigpo and Steakhouse, but usually birds need to be pre-ordered by November latest since they get sold out pretty fast.

Then, there's the French Farm. Till last year, expats and Indians who had the good fortune of catching owner Roger Langbour in a good mood could hope to carve a beautiful bird on Christmas Day. The farm on the Jaipur highway, after all, supplies to five-star kitchens. But this year, I hear, it has not been giving out its turkeys at all. So, where does one head?

The secret turkey!
Colonel Dutta's farm on the Pataudi road in Gurgaon has lately been doing brisk business in the likes of quail, guinea fowls, ducks and turkey apart from its original broilers but this season's great find for me has to be Nizakat, one of expat-hub Vasant Vihar's best-kept secrets.

Even this late in the season, you can ring them up and give them your address. The consequence will be a visit to your home by a gent armed with a selection of two-three (live) birds! Take your pick. Apparently, these are sourced from foreigners who bring them in only around Christmas, making this a worthwhile seasonal biz. A whole 5-7 kg bird will cost you Rs 1,500 but a scrawnier (female) only Rs 500-600.

Mumbai to deli; or Sunny Bangalore
In Mumbai, on the other hand, the best ready-to-cook turkey is still at the J W Marriott while people also swear by the Indigo Deli "" for everything from ham and suckling pigs to the Butterballs.

This year's specials include roast turkey with apple sausage stuffing, orange and cognac gravy, roast ham with mustard and maple glaze and roast baby potatoes.

In Bangalore, getting hold of a decent bird is still a problem but the upmarket Sunny's says it's doing cooked, roast and whole, uncooked (Rs 1,000 a kg) versions.

Ironically, the birds are flown in from Delhi as is the case in most cities "" a farm near Pune which does cross-breeds, apparently, can't match the quality. In Kolkata, the only place where you can find the bird is at an open-air shop in the alley behind New Market. The owner brings his birds, only around Christmas, from a village in Uttar Pradesh and sells these for about Rs 400 a kg.

The "real" fruit cake
"A handful of nuts in a lot of maida is not plum cake," says Cress (that's what everyone calls her), who owns Goan restaurant Bernardo's in Gurgaon, but has had other previous avtars "" from working in Unicef to making pickles.

Each Christmas, each of the 17 years she's been in Delhi (from home-town Cochin), Cress has been baking "real" plum cakes for friends and clients. Essentially, these are "5 kg of fruit held together by 1 kg of flour".

Throughout the year, Cress has fruit soaking in rum (this year, it was 120 kg of nuts and raisins). She takes all her ingredients "" and tins "" to a local bakery and gets the cakes baked in a wood-fired oven. This is, in fact, done in many traditional homes. Cress also does mince pies (also try Wenger's in Delhi).

That apart, this year, The Big Chill Cafe and Chokola (it specialises in single-origin chocolates) too are also doing Christmas desserts in a big way. In Mumbai, the best desserts are still done by "aunties", often old Parsi women, at home.

In Kolkata, you have Flury's. And in Bangalore, you could choose your favourite "" Koshy's (strong on rum and old fashioned), Daily Bread (extra almonds offerings) or Sweet Chariot (aged raisins, spices, marzipan flavour). But really, in all other cities too, small towns or big, hidden away or tourist paradises like Manali (German bakery) and of course, Goa, there will always be that old, odd shop that you can always bank upon.