Home-made Full-fat Cottage Cheese

Now that I’ve discovered how easy it is to make your own full-fat cottage cheese, using only high-quality ingredients, I never buy the supermarket versions, which are heavily processed and contain preservatives, thickeners and stabilisers. The only piece of equipment you might not have on hand is a kitchen thermometer, but they’re widely available at stores such as Bunnings or Mitre 10.

1L full-fat non-homogenised milk

¼ cup white vinegar

½ teaspoon sea salt

¼ cup cream

In a heavy based saucepan, heat the milk slowly to 86C, stirring occasionally to stop it sticking. Take the pan off the heat, pour in the vinegar and stir for a minute or two. You will see the curds and the whey separating. Leave undisturbed for about 45 minutes, until cool, then pour through a fine sieve set over a large bowl. Using a large spoon, press slightly on the curds until most of the whey has come out, then tip the curds into a bowl, and stir in the cream. Season with sea salt, and anything else that takes your fancy — black pepper, crushed garlic, lemon zest, finely chopped chives or mint, a little paprika, cumin, lime zest or a few flakes of chilli work nicely for savoury options, or a little cinnamon, honey or cocoa powder for something sweeter. Cover and chill before serving. Keeps 3 days in the fridge.