Buns, cakes fly off shelves as bakeries see brisk business for Easter Sunday

Kolkata: In the run-up to Easter Sunday, the familiar counters of Kolkata's legacy bakeries were doing brisk business on Saturday, as customers queued for hot cross buns, marzipan eggs, Easter cupcakes and chocolate treats that have long been part of Kolkata's Easter feast. From the corridors of SS Hogg Market to the Anglo-Indian neighbourhood around Bow Barracks, some of Kolkata's best-known bakeries prepared for one of the most important occasions on the Christian calendar. Easter commemorates the resurrection of Jesus Christ after the crucifixion. At Saldanha Bakery, tucked off Rafi Ahmed Kidwai Road and cherished as part of Kolkata's culinary heritage since 1930, Easter baskets lined the shelves and drew eager buyers. Solid chocolate Easter eggs, chocolate figures and buns were among the most sought-after items. "The response has been good this year. The queue of customers has been growing longer with each passing year. Our Easter basket, along with the marzipan Easter eggs, has been a big draw," said Debra Alexander of Saldanha Bakery.Inside SS Hogg Market, which is a meeting point of the familiar bustle and the city's diverse food history, the Easter rush was equally visible. There was a steady stream of buyers at Imperial Bakers and Confectioners, the more than 150-year-old establishment that continues to draw regulars during festive seasons. "There were a lot of pre-orders from our regular customers," said Sheikh Aman Rahman, owner of Imperial Bakers and Confectioners.Nearby, Mullick Confectioners, another bakery in SS Hogg Market with a history stretching back over 150 years, also saw several customers looking for Easter eggs and buns.At Flurys, Easter staples sold out fast. "Easter is one of our most significant annual celebrations, and we are fully prepared with our festive range, including hot cross buns, Simnel cake, Easter eggs and chocolate nest cupcakes," said Rajesh Singh, national head of Flurys.Near Bow Barracks, where the city's Anglo-Indian community has helped preserve Christmas and Easter baking traditions, JN Barua was nearly sold out of one of its seasonal favourites. "Every year we sell fruit buns for Easter. We have run out of the bigger buns priced at Rs 35. Only the smaller ones priced at Rs 25 are available now," said owner Ratan Barua.For many families, the bakery visits are as much a part of Easter as church service. "After Mass, everyone will come over, including my parents and other members of the extended family. Saturday was spent buying Easter goodies from Saldanha Bakery for everybody," said Maria Govindraj, a resident of central Kolkata. "Easter feels incomplete without buns and Easter eggs from these old bakeries we grew up with," she added.