Namita Tiwari, who is the co-founder of the homestay, Himalayan Homestead, has always been an explorer when it comes to food and nature. Luckily for her, moving to the mountains worked wonders.

Apart from opening their home for the world through their homestay, she also started her little jam company to benefit the local women. 

Her blog is a one-stop destination for baking recipes. And I truly love the way she describes the little things happening around her—from the birds and flowers to the evolving seasons.

When I first tasted her jellies, jams and preserves, I got to know her talent to make fresh, chunky and flavourful spreads that I loved using on my rotis and toasts. Only yesterday, I ordered a big bottle of apricot jam, and I love every spoonful of it!

Namita inspires us to not just bake well, but to also infuse local flavours and alternative/healthier twists. And for the rest, one can always bow down to nature and keep going, just like her, for it has all the answers. 

Deepika: Why do you bake? Tell us your story behind this love. 

Namita: “I love baking. It is more than a hobby. It is therapy for me. Mixing ingredients, watching them transform in the oven and creating something healthy and delicious gives me a sense of purpose and accomplishment like nothing else. It’s a form of creative expression that nourishes my soul and those I share my bakes with. Baking at home ensures the purity of ingredients both for us and our guests. When we bake bread, cakes, muffins, cookies and brownies at home, it becomes a sustainable process.

I was a child when I baked my first cake with my father. That’s my first memory of it. We collected sand from a brook that flowed through our fields. It was washed, dried and filled up in the cooker. We placed our batter in a pan. It rose high and then sank. But, it was perfect in taste. From there, started my love for baking.”

Me: How did you get into baking and jam-making? What was the initial struggle like? 

Namita: “I started baking in an era when we had no internet at home (in the late ’80s). I followed a basic bread recipe shared by an aunt. Initially, I struggled a lot with yeast (as it was available in only one shop in our entire town). There were no bread pans available either. There was no thing called ‘online shopping’.  

Baking is a journey. With practice, you evolve and learn. With time, you learn to get the right consistency, texture and tested recipe. This is your personal journey. It’s both involving and gratifying.

We had a tradition of jam-making at home. I have grown up watching piles of fruits being processed into jams and jellies; the kitchen being flooded with the aroma of jams bubbling on the stove. That’s how jam-making comes naturally to me. And now, with our homestay, it becomes even more purposeful to make preserves and jellies with organic fruits of the hills.”

Me: What inspired you to start your blog? Apart from writing recipes, did you always enjoy nature writing? 

Namita: “My blog, Ambrosia, was born in 2012. This was a crucial juncture in our lives. We were winding up our work in the town and planning to relocate to the hills. My kids were young. So, the idea was to make the blog a treasure trove of recipes, stories and memories of our lives in the foothills and beyond.

Ambrosia was a self-designed blog with few recipes and fewer followers. Blogging opened a whole new world to me. Slowly and steadily, followers came, words of appreciation came in, and so did the opportunities. A blog gives you an identity in the blogosphere. It is an involving activity and a source of happiness. It helps to connect with likeminded people.”

Me: When did you move to the mountains? How exciting was it to design your own mountain home? 

Namita: “We moved to the mountains eight years ago. It was a pleasurable experience to design our home, the home kitchen and the baking studio. We wanted the construction to gel with the elements of nature. All the rooms have trees around it. For instance, there are broad windows in the rooms that ensure a lot of natural light and fresh air. The baking studio has a view of the majestic Himalaya as well. We wanted a concept wall in the studio, a natural design made with natural material. We walked about 5-6 kilometres to a river and collected the tiny, round pebbles for the design on the wall. Such a pleasure it was!”

Me: How is baking in the city different from baking in the mountains? Which were the local ingredients you got to try?

Namita: “Baking in the hills is a different ball game altogether.  Air pressure is lower, so it takes longer to bake. Bread dough and cake batters need extra liquids to get the right consistency. Oven temperature needs to be increased. All this learning happens with experience and practice. 

We strongly believe in sustainability and for baking, we source most of the ingredients from our ecosystem. We bake with local and alternative flours like ragi, cornmeal and amaranth. We use the herbs from our garden, wild berries and nettle from the wild.”

Me: What were the key challenges that you had to combat in setting up your own food label?

Namita: “Having my own jam label was a dream that was born in the hills. Staying in the hills gave me a chance to interact with the local women. The socioeconomic status of the women is sad. And I wanted to reach out and help them. 

Our project is primarily to help these women. Through this project, we connect and work with the community. Besides using the fruits of our orchard, we buy the fruits from women farmers. We also employ village women in the process and thus, help them financially. Luckily for us, we have been shipping to every nook and corner of the country.”

Me: Before you sign off, give us a few tips to make bread and jams. 

Namita: “Baking bread can be tricky if you don’t understand the science behind it. One needs to understand the right stage of bulk fermentation, the second rise, and the hydration level of the dough. 

For jams, the flavour of the fruit should stand out. The balance of sugar and the fruit, and the right setting point is crucial.”

All photos were shared by Namita Tiwari.