Farm to Table: Dining Experience in Uttarakhand| Forest Side Farm

There is a profound difference between eating a meal that was packed in plastic weeks ago and eating food that was still growing in the earth an hour before breakfast. At Forest Side Farm, a farm stay homestay in Kotabagh near Nainital and Jim Corbett, the kitchen doesn't run on a supply chain — it runs on the seasons and the morning harvest. This is what a genuine farm to table dining experience in Uttarakhand actually looks like, not just the phrase on a menu card.

What "Farm to Table" Actually Means Here

A lot of properties use "farm to table" as decoration. At Forest Side Farm, it's closer to a constraint than a slogan. We've built the entire kitchen culture around refusing commercial shortcuts:

• No processed ingredients, artificial preservatives, or ready-made market bases

• Every meal made from scratch, the same day it's served

• Herbs cut fresh from the garden as needed — if a wood-fired pizza or focaccia bread needs rosemary, someone walks out and clips it

• Sweeteners and bakes finished with raw honey from our own backyard apiary

• A 2.5-acre organic food forest supplying much of what lands on the plate

• 90% of our dals that we serve to guests are grown in our own farm.

• 4 most important ingredients of indian cusine, namely- ginger, gralic, turmeric and corriander come from our own farm.

A Typical Meal at Forest Side Farm

Meals are served at our very scenic Forest Side Cafe, meant to be lingered over rather than rushed. Guests have described the food as ranging from traditional Kumaoni dishes — like a slow-simmered Kumaoni Ras — to wood-fired pizzas, artisanal breads fermented over 36 hours, and internationally inspired plates like hummus with fresh pita or a proper sizzler. The idea isn't to pick one cuisine; it's to cook whatever the harvest and the season make possible, done properly, without cutting corners.

Why This Matters for Guests

Food grown and cooked this way changes how a meal feels, not just how it tastes. Guests arriving from cities often mention that the shift from processed, rushed eating to slow, seasonal meals is one of the most memorable parts of their stay — alongside the quiet of the forest and the wood-fired oven's warmth in the evenings. It's not a wellness gimmick; it's simply what food tastes like when it's grown with intention and cooked without shortcuts.

Frequently Asked Questions

• Is the food at Forest Side Farm vegetarian, non-vegetarian, or both?

  Yes. At Forest Side Farm we serve both vegetarian and non-vegetarian meals.

• Are meals included in the stay, or ordered separately?

  Breakfast is complimentary and it is included in the stay. Rest of the meals, snacks and non alcoholic beverages, guests can order as per the menu. We do not serve alcoholic beverages. However, guests can bring their own alcohol to consume.

• What kind of dishes can guests expect at Forest Side Farm?

  Guests can expect a mix of traditional Kumaoni cooking, handi mutton, wood-fired pizzas and breads, 36-hour fermented artisanal breads, and internationally inspired dishes such as hummus, pita, and pasta — all made from scratch using produce from the farm's own 2.5-acre organic food forest.

• Where does the produce come from?

  Most of the dals, spices, herbs, seasonal vegetables, and honey used in the kitchen come directly from Forest Side Farm's own organic food forest and backyard apiary, rather than external commercial suppliers.

• Is Forest Side Farm suitable for guests with dietary restrictions?

  Since, we host exlusive 6 guests at any time, it is easy for us to customise the food as per the dietary requests of our guests. Our kitchen is very flexible to accommodate specific dietary requests (gluten-free, allergies, etc.).

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Ready to trade a rushed, packaged meal for one that was in the ground this morning? Book your stay at Forest Side Farm and taste the difference for yourself.