I have not tasted éclairs so soft and so delicious in what seems like a long time and I owe it to Oshella De Alwis – the young lady behind Oshella Homemade Goodness – who makes some of the best éclairs I have dug into. When you have a chat with her, it is clear Oshella has a passion and love for food. She currently focuses on desserts and one rice item – Nasi Lemak and says she will not take on orders for cupcakes or celebration cakes as she wants to bring something a little different into the market.

Having kicked off her little venture on June 3, this year she says she has been getting a steady stream of orders. Oshella read for a degree in Business Management in Singapore but thought she wanted to do something in relation to food as she always had a knack for creating delicious treats. She picked up the basic skills required from her aunt who is a cookery teacher, and after testing her dishes on her friends and family decided it was time to dive right in and start baking and selling her goodies on a full time basis (And I am glad she did!) What I loved about her goodies was how she focuses on textures, which is so exciting to the senses.

Taste and value for money – 5.5 stars 

It is no wonder then that Oshella’s éclairs (Rs 90 per piece) are popular. “About 90% of the order I get are for my éclairs,” she says adding that she requires a minimum of eight éclairs per order. These delectable treats are stuffed with vanilla cream and topped with a delicious chocolate ganache.

Another of her amazing goodies is her scrumptious and gooey Brownie (Rs 110 per piece) with a delightful flaky and glossy crust. The brownies are chunky and measure 2.5"x3". She requires a minimum order of eight for this treat from chocolate heaven!

Oshella steers away from the norm with her Nutella Bread Pudding (Rs 375 for individual cups and Rs 1,400 for a large pack which serves four to five persons). I am a huge fan of this comfort food but adding Nutella into it takes it to a whole new level while the crispy top gives it a lovely texture while also maintaining a creamy but pudding like texture on the inside.

On a less sweet and chocolaty note is her Yoghurt Cake which serves about 20 to 21 pieces (Rs 1,150 for 875g). The yoghurt gives this cake a dense texture while the hint of lime gives it that kick! This along with her moist and fresh Banana Bread (Rs 650 for 850g) would be ideal for a tea party or just to indulge with a few girlfriends as it is delicious.

She makes an amazing Chocolate Caramel Crunch (Rs 375 for 250ml – minimum order of three cups). The dessert is created in three layers – a soaked sponge, a creamy chocolate mousse with nuts and chocolate topping with a generous helping of nuts. Her Tiramisu (Rs 420 for 250ml – minimum order of three cups) is not a traditional Tiramisu as she doesn’t use mascarpone and sponge fingers, instead she makes her own sponge and uses a beautifully whipped cream cheese and I must say it is absolutely mouth watering.

Oshella’s Nasi Lemak (Rs 360) is also fantastic with the perfect balance of sweet and savoury rice made with coconut milk and salty yet slightly sweet and spicy sprats with peanuts it was an amazing pack of rice while the chicken was to die for.

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By Natasha Fernandopulle
Photographs by Kanishke Ganewatte