After having been cooped up in Delhi for months, my boyfriend and I decided to pack our bags in late December last year, and leave the hustle and bustle of the capital for the serene hill station of Mashobra in Himachal Pradesh.
Surrounded by rich forests of oak, rhododendron and pine, Mashobra is blessed with the kind of natural beauty that the heart yearns for. Almost in the middle of nowhere, it is the perfect hideout if you want to escape the big city madness.
On the way to our getaway, I remembered that I had an acquaintance there—Debarati Nandee Laederich—who I had met online while researching a story on cheesemaking.
Debarati and her French husband François Laederich own an artisanal cheesemaking unit called Amiksa Cheese (amiksa is the Sanskrit word for cheese curds) in Mashobra.
I was very keen to meet her in person and hear her story.
On the night of December 30, we were lucky to be invited to her lovely home for dinner.
As expected, the table was loaded with cheese followed by lots of conversation. The Laederichs, playing the perfect hosts, told us about their remarkable journey in cheesemaking that started in 2019.
“We were always enchanted by the Himalayas, and when we came to Mashobra from South India, we just fell in love,” said Debarati. “In July 2019, we decided to stay on in this beautiful place and make quality artisanal cheese.”
As the cheese factory started taking shape, the Paris-born François went back to France to train in the art of cheesemaking in Aurillac, in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region.
Known as the “Cheeseman” locally, François strongly believes in the concept of “terroir”— a sense of place that comes through in the flavour of food.
“The milk we use comes from grass-fed cows that are reared in a region that is clean and unpolluted,” said Debarati. “The cows are hand-milked every morning by villagers, collected, and brought to the unit where the cheesemaking process starts immediately. The use of this excellent milk gives our cheese its terroir.”
Right below their cheese factory is their quaint souvenir shop that has charming blue walls, cute knick-knacks from the region and varieties of Amiksa artisanal cheese.
I loved their Zuri, cheddar and cumin Gouda but their Borsalino, which is creamy and crumbly and made with a hint of herbs, pepper and spring onions, is truly memorable.
The Laederichs plan to hold a few cheesemaking courses this year.
You can keep a lookout for more details about this two-day weekend crash course on their website (amiksa.in)