Crowdie is a traditional soft fresh cheese from Scotland, originally made with sour milk. In raw, unpasteurised milk, lactic acid builds up as it sours, which helps the milk curdle when heated. Pasteurised milk, however, doesn’t sour in quite the same way, so it’s best to use it before it turns, though that could be after the best-before date, so rely on your senses to judge if it’s still good. If you make crowdie with regular pasteurised milk, you’ll need an acidulant such as lemon juice or vinegar to help separate the curds and whey, as in my recipe today.
Crowdie cheese
In recent years, supermarkets have shifted from labelling milk with use-by dates to “best-before” dates, encouraging us to reduce waste by trusting our own judgment, rather than relying solely on company estimates. After all, pasteurised milk will sour and turn lumpy before it truly spoils. For the best results with this recipe, however, use unhomogenised or even unpasteurised milk. Keep the leftover whey, because it’s tasty and nutritious; enjoy within a few days, either as a drink or in baking. I spoon my crowdie into a clean jam jar for simplicity, but it can also be shaped into balls and coated in toasted oats and cracked black pepper, similar to my labneh recipe. I like crowdie spread on oatcakes, though I also serve it on roast pears topped with a sprinkling of toasted oats and freshly cracked black pepper.
500ml-1 litre milk
25ml lemon juice or vinegar (cider or wine) per 500ml milk
Sea salt to taste
Double cream (optional)
Optional extras: toasted oats, black pepper
Pour the milk into a saucepan, set it over a medium heat and cook, stirring occasionally, until it starts to steam and bubbles appear around the edges (this will happen when it reaches about 85C); avoid bringing it to a boil. Turn off the heat and add 25ml lemon juice or vinegar per 500ml of milk, stirring to distribute it evenly. Cover with a tea towel and leave the milk to rest and curdle for 20 minutes.
Using a slotted spoon, transfer the curds into a thick muslin cloth (or clean tea towel or jelly bag) in a colander set over a bowl. Pour the remaining whey through another cloth, then transfer any curds from that to the first batch. Add sea salt to the curds to taste, then tie up the cloth and hang it in the fridge over a bowl for at least three hours.
Serve with oatcakes or bread, or use your crowdie to make cranachan, a Scottish dessert traditionally made with crowdie (or cream), whisky, honey, toasted oatmeal and berries.