If you only ever fancy feta, you’re missing out. There’s a whole feast of other Greek cheeses that are adaptable and always interesting.
Of course feta is fine. Crumbled into a salad it gives a tangy, salty, textured uplift and it’s also nutritious and a good source of calcium.
So iconic is Feta to the Greeks that it has Protected Designation of Origin (PDO) status meaning only those cheeses made in Macedonia, Thrace, Thessaly, Central Mainland Greece, the Peloponnese, Lesvos and the island of Kefalonia can be called ‘feta’, which explains why the ‘Greek style cheese’ you see in discount supermarkets is not the real deal.
PDO feta is made from sheep and goat’s milk with the animals grazing on local grass. This particular environment is what gives the cheese its unique characteristics, and sheep’s milk feta is stronger than mixed with goat’s milk, so check the label.
Odysea’s PDO feta is made from organic sheep and goat’s milk using traditional methods on the island of Lesvos in Greece. Their top of the range Feta is award-winning and comes from Roussas Dairy in Thessaly in central Greece.
Have it in a greek salad, of course, but try placing chunks of it with cherry tomatoes and anchovies into halves of sweet red pepper and roasting in the oven. If you’re lazy, Odysea feta is also available ready-cubed to mix with avocado, chillies and tortilla chips for a special Mexican style salad.
Odysea offer a range of fetas. Not just Sheep and Goat’s Milk Feta,Organic Feta, 100% Sheep’s Milk Feta and Feta Cubes but a Creamy Feta and Yoghurt Spread too.
Manouri is a greek cheese you might not know. As a by-product of feta making it has feta flavour, but is milder and creamier, in fact you might call it a Greek ricotta as it can also be used in sweety and savoury dishes.
We like it in this courgette recipe from the world’s most popular chef Ottolenghi. Odysea’s Manouri is a Great Taste Award winner 2015 and World Cheese Award Gold winner 2014-15 and is available in Waitrose.
Where would we be at a BBQ without Halloumi for the vegetarians ( and usually also snapped up by the meat eaters, too)? Odysea’s Halloumi is made in Alambra in Nicosia, Cyprus from a mixture of cows, sheep and goat’s milk, or Sheep and Goat’s Milk for a richer flavour, and more elastic, dense texture. It also makes those eternal gastropub favourites, Halloumi fries, and Odysea make that easy by also selling Halloumi ready sliced ‘sticks’.
The final cheese to seek out is Kefalotyri, usually cooked in a small pan called a Saganaki. Dating back to the Byzantine era It’s a hard, salty cheese with a high melting point so it’s great for frying as the outside will become crisp but the inside will stay soft.
It’s perfect just served traditionally, fried in the pan a few minutes each side and finished with lemon juice and black pepper. It’s like a ‘posh’ halloumi and makes an excellent starter ready in no time.
You can find many Odysea cheeses in Waitrose, or go to the Odysea website to find all the gorgeous Greek products Odysea have in store.
Sheep and Goat’s Milk Feta, £1.90, Waitrose
Organic Feta PDO, £3.00, Waitrose
Greek Feta Cubes in Brine, £2.75, Waitrose
Creamy Feta and Yoghurt Spread, £2.75, Waitrose
Halloumi, £3.50, Odysea.com
Sheep and Goat’s Milk Halloumi, £4.00, Odysea.com
Manouri PDO, £2.90, Waitrose
Saganaki Kefalotyri £3.99, Odysea.com