Gourmet Cheese is the new food item that Coonoor specializes in now. Acres Wild Cheesemaking Farm +91-94432-32621are making all kinds of gourmet cheeses like Gouda, Colby, Monterey Jack, Cheddar, Haloumi etc. You can buy their cheeses from a small but very popular store called 'Nilgiris Store' or 'Baker's Junction' +91 94430-35551 that is just 100m from Bedford circle. If you are interested in a tour of the cheese farm then ask the owner Cedrik for directions. It is also possible to stay on the farm and learn cheesemaking.
At Bedford, a few meters ahead of Taj Garden Retreat, on the Kotagiri Road, there is a quaint little furniture shop called Vriksh. This little store can be easily missed if you are driving past a little too fast. Tucked away into a little lane, at the bottom of a flight of stairs you will find intricately carved teak trunks, elegant side tables and ceramic work. They have tea sets and vases that remind you that the British were once here. According to the lady at the shop, all the furniture is locally made. They are fairly expensive, but is unique and worth it. However, before you buy one of their beautiful mirrors or desks you might want to know that they do not arrange for delivery... so how do you plan to take it back home with you?
There are also other little shops, selling local produce like tea, honey, jams and preserves and some that sell beautiful embroidered linen. Ask at your hotel and they should be able to recommend the nearest stores or the ones they best recommend. For embroidered linen, my hotel recommended a place called "Needlecraft" in Singara Tea Estate. You can find exquisitely hand-embroidered pillowcases, cushion covers, bedspreads, bedsheets and handkerchiefs at Needlecraft, though they are steeply priced.Do not buy tea packets sold on the tourist spots at Coonoor. After selling good tea to drink, they sell adulterated tea packets which had to be discarded on arrival, after tasting.
Keystone, in Jograj building near Bedford Circle, is a green shop. You get excellent honey and spices besides some handicrafts and garments.
