Toonsbridge Halloumi

Traditional Cypriot cheese, made in by Toonsbrige dairy in West Cork. We love this cooked and served in a green salad or with herby bulgar wheat. Salty, squeaky and delicious!

Toonsbridge dairy make their Halloumi with a mixture of raw cow and sheep milk that is renneted without a starter. The curd is wrapped in muslin, put into tins and pressed with weights in order to remove excess moisture and to give the cheese it’s shape. A couple of hours later, the cheese is removed from it’s moulds, sliced and cooked in its own whey.

Halloumi is originally from Cyprus, where it is made all over the island by both the Muslim and Greek Orthodox communities. Similar versions are made throughout the Eastern Mediterranean.

Toonsbridge recommend slicing the Halloumi, and gently browning each side in a pan or under a grill. It is important to get the slice size right as too thin and it looses its texture, too thick and it does not cook to the middle. When the cheese browns, this is the milk sugars caramelising, which is what gives it that lovely toffee flavour. Haloumi is also known for it’s squeek when bitten into!