The Recipe

Ingredients:

• 3 Pints milk
• 1 Lemon

Method:

Put the milk in a large pan and bring to a simmer over a gentle heat.

When the milk is hot and starting to bubble, add the juice of half a lemon.

Stir, put a lid on the pan, turn the heat right down and leave for five minutes - it should separate into curds (rubbery white solids) and whey (clearish pale yellow liquid).

Line a colander with clean gauze or cloth, pour the curds and whey into the cloth and allow to drain. Rinse well under running cold water and allow to drain again.

Gather up the cloth into a bundle and twist it to drive out more of the whey.

Tie up the bundle with a rubber band and put it on a plate. Add another plate on top and add weights (I used tins of food) to squeeze out more liquid.

Leave it under the weights for half an hour - longer if you want a firmer texture.

Wrap in cling film or a sandwich bag and store in the fridge.

Cooking with fresh curd cheese

Fresh curd cheese can be fried or grilled - instead of melting, it just turns deliciously crispy.

The cheese combines well with herbs such as garlic or sage, also with salty foods such as bacon or salami - it's great in toasted sandwiches with ham and chives.