One of the things I like most about food blogging is that I am often given the opportunity to try new things. I am an adventurous soul and this aspect of food blogging really appeals to me. I was recently sent some Halum Cheese.I am sure you are all familiar with Halloumi Cheese, which is a cheese of Greek origins, made from sheep and goats milk, and sometimes cow milk. Well this is a very similar cheese. Milky's Halum is a British Halloumi-style cheese. I like that! It makes me happy to use home grown and produced ingredients. If I could buy everything British, I would be ecstatic!
Produced in Britain, from 100% fresh British cows and goats milk using a traditional family recipe, Milky's Halum is hand-folded and sprinkled with dried mint by expert cheese makers to create a gorgeous springy (& squeaky) texture.
It's texture and high melting temperature makes it the perfect cheese for grilling. It browns beautifully and holds it shape, just like Halloumi cheese, except it's not . . . it's Halum and it's made right here in the UK.
It has a mild salty flavour, with just the merest hint of mint, which makes it the perfect salad cheese as well. I chose to make a warm salad for our lunch today using this cheese and it was just gorgeous.
I found this Halum to be less salty than the traditional Halloumi cheese, which I really liked. It wasn't over powering in the least, and yet it wasn't bland either. It took on a lovely golden brown color which looked gorgeous in the salad and added some extra texture.
The dressing for this salad is slightly sweet and tangy, with a hint of Dijon mustard, and herby dill. I used lemon rapeseed oil, but you could use just plain olive oil. I, personally, liked the addition of the lemon, which you could get by using lemon juice instead of vinegar I suppose . . .
The warm cooked potatoes marinate in the dressing while you grill the cheese. It's a beautiful mix of soft rich potatoes, sweet and ripe baby plum tomatoes, crisp and bitey radishes . . . and then there is that slightly chewy rich golden salty cheese. In short . . . the perfect salad for a cold autumn day! (I got some really tiny radishes in my veggie box this week that were just perfect!)
*Warm Halum and Potato Salad*
Serves 4
Simple and delicious. You get the saltiness from the cheese the sweetness from the potatoes and tomatoes, and a delicious mustard and dill dressing. Gorgeous. If you keep your tomatoes out on the counter for a few days they will be lovely and sweet.
For the salad:100g of small to medium new potatoes, washed well (about 8)(about the size of a small child's fist)75g of small radishes (a generous handful)50g of baby plum tomatoes, halved(about 1 cup)1/2 TBS olive oil, cooking grade100g Halum cheese, sliced ( scant 1/2 pound)(you can use Halloumi if you can't get the Halum)a small handful of fresh flat leaf parsley leaves
For the Dressing:4 TBS extra virgin olive oil, or lemon rapeseed oil1 TBS white wine vinegar1 tsp caster sugar1 tsp Dijon mustarda small handful of dill, choppedsea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Bring a pot of lightly salted water to the boil Drop in the potatoes and cook until tender, about 15 minutes. While the potatoes are cooking, whisk all of the ingredients for the dressing together in a medium bowl. Once the potatoes are done drain them well, allow them to cool slightly and then quarter them and drop them into the dressing while they are still quite hot. Halve the radishes and tomatoes. Drop them into the bowl as well. Heat the olive oil in a skillet. Once it is hot cook the sliced cheese on both sides for about one minute per side until golden brown. Add to the salad and mix all together gently, adding the flat leaf parsley leaves. Serve immediately.
I have to say I adored the flavor of Milky's Halum Cheese. Uncooked, it was mild with a nice texture, slightly squeaky like cheese curds. Grilled simply in some olive oil, it took on an almost buttery flavor which was incredibly moreish. I could have eaten it on it's own without any salad or other accompaniments. In fact . . . the bits that I didn't use in the salad, quickly disappeared as Todd and I couldn't stop picking at them.
Reasons why people love Halum:
- Fantastic flavour
- Versatile and simple to cook with
- Excellent shelf life
- Made in Britain using all British ingredients
- Low food miles
- Made with fresh milk
- Less salt than Cypriot alternative
- Hand-folded from a traditional family recipe
Milky's is a family owned Lebanese and Mediterranean dairy run by Nabil & Youssef Assi in Wembley, London. It produces fresh Mediterranean cheeses and yoghurts on a daily basis using fresh cow's milk from farm supplier Harefield using non-animal renet making our products suitable for vegetarians. Established over five years ago, Milky's is the leading supplier of dairy products to Arabic restaurants and delicatessens in the UK. Fresh milk, a touch of fine sea salt, citric acid make its Great Taste Award winning white soft cheese. Milky's only use non-animal Renet in their cheeses which makes them ideal for vegetarians.
Milky's Halum Cheese is available at Waitrose.
Many thanks to the Milky people for sending me this gorgeous cheese to try. We here in The English Kitchen just loved it!
