Dateline Mussoorie: Today winter came early to help bring in the Christmas cheer. Festivities bring people together, even if they are months away. In Mussoorie, the grand Welcomhotel by ITC Hotels, The Savoy brought in the spirit of Christmas, two months in advance, with the customary cake mixing ceremony.
Keeping its century old tradition alive, the annual cake-mixing has over the years, become an inseparable part of the hotel’s celebrations.
In full attendance, hotel guests, staff along with dignitaries came together for the customary ritual on the Central Lawn. Guided by the Executive Chef, the guests followed the instructions to the tee and worked on the perfect blend for a scrumptious traditional Christmas Cake. The chef added, “Post Covid events such as these are returning to some amount of normalcy. A round mixing bowl that is five feet in dimension has been especially designed for the ingredients to mix and mature in over the next two months that will in turn be baked into plum cakes.”
From dry fruits such as cashew nuts, sultana, black currant, almond flakes, dates, raisins, figs, apricots, glazed cherry, ginger peels, prunes, cloves, spices, mace, green cardamom, ginger powder, cinnamon sticks, nutmeg powder soaked in orange juice and choicest of spirits develop that festive aroma and taste in the traditional Christmas delight.
What makes this years cake-mixing event even more special is the fact that Mussoorie turns two hundred years old. General Manager, Gautam Valli stated, “The cake-mixing kickstarts the festival season in the hills. The event is a precursor to the Himalayan Car Drive that we will host on the on 4th-5th of November along with a lot of festivities lined-up until the end of December.”
For those who missed being part of the traditional cake-mixing celebrations, do not despair. There is plenty of time to gear yourself to enjoy the fruits of labour, come Christmas and beyond.
