Yorkshire Squeaky

Furnish your cheese plate with a selection from these fromageries, available online

In Calderdale, West Yorkshire, Razan Alsous and her husband, Raghid Sandouk, make Yorkshire Squeaky, a halloumi-style cheese inspired by their Syrian heritage. Unable to find great-tasting ‘squeaky’ cheese when they first came to Britain in 2012, they began making their own, using locally sourced milk – helped by Razan’s background in microbiology and Raghid’s in food engineering.

COUSCOUS TABBOULEH WITH YORKSHIRE SQUEAKY

This is a favourite recipe of Razan’s, generally using mint-flavoured Yorkshire Squeaky, although you could use the plain version and add fresh mint to the tabbouleh.

Preparation 15 minutes Cooking 5 minutes Serves 2-3 180G COUSCOUS

1 TSP GROUND CUMIN

PINCH OF SEA SALT

420ML BOILING WATER

OLIVE OIL, FOR DRESSING THE COUSCOUS HANDFUL OF FRESH PARSLEY, FINELY CHOPPED

2 LARGE TOMATOES, FINELY DICED

3 SPRING ONIONS, FINELY CHOPPED

JUICE OF 1 LEMON

1 X 220G PACK OF YORKSHIRE SQUEAKY, SLICED

1 ROMAINE OR LITTLE GEM LETTUCE POMEGRANATE MOLASSES OR FRESH POMEGRANATE SEEDS, TO SERVE (OPTIONAL)

1 Place the couscous, cumin and salt in a large bowl and mix well. Pour the boiling water over the couscous, then cover with a tea towel and leave until all the water has been absorbed – this should take around 5 minutes. Stir in a generous slosh of olive oil.

2 Add the chopped parsley, diced tomatoes, chopped spring onions and lemon juice. Mix well.

3 Place a cast-iron or heavy-based frying pan on a high heat and, once hot, add the slices of Yorkshire Squeaky and fry the cheese on each side for 1-2 minutes or until golden.

4 Place the lettuce leaves in a serving dish. Spoon the couscous over them and then arrange the cheese on top. Finish with a drizzle of pomegranate molasses or a sprinkling of pomegranate seeds to serve.

Along the main street of Upton village, bordered by hawthorn hedges and horse chestnuts, is Sparkenhoe Farm, which is run by David and Jo Clarke, along with their son Will. The family started making cheese in 2005 to diversify, triggered by low milk prices. Shropshire Blue is a crumbly variety made using raw milk from the farm’s herd of Holstein-friesian cows. It is the only blue cheese to which annatto is added, giving it its characteristic pale orange colour, speckled with blue mould.

LEEK AND SHROPSHIRE BLUE PASTIES

This recipe is perfect if you know you’re going to be out all day and need a quick, portable lunch. I often make these pasties early in the morning and have them cold come lunchtime. You’ll most certainly find one stuffed in my rucksack when I’m going for a long walk or if I’m travelling in the car from one side of the country to the other.

Preparation 15 minutes Cooking 25 minutes Makes 3 15G BUTTER

1 SMALL LEEK, FINELY SLICED

1 SMALL POTATO, PEELED AND FINELY DICED INTO SMALL CUBES 1 X 320G SHEET OF READY-ROLLED ALL-BUTTER PUFF PASTRY FLOUR, FOR DUSTING 100G SHROPSHIRE BLUE, CUT INTO 6 SLICES 1 LARGE EGG

SEA SALT AND FRESHLY GROUND BLACK PEPPER

1 Preheat the oven to 200°C (180°C fan oven) gas mark 6.

2 In a non-stick pan on a medium heat, melt the butter and sauté the leek and potato for about 10 minutes until softened. Add a small pinch of salt and a few turns of black pepper, and set aside to cool.

3 Unroll the puff pastry and cut it in half widthways. Place a small plate (about 15cm in diameter) on the pastry to use as a template, and cut around it. You should have enough room for two circles – one on each pastry half. Gather up the remaining pastry and, on a floured worktop, roll it out with a rolling pin before cutting out a third circle the same size as the first two. There will still be a little pastry left over, which you could cut into leaf shapes to add to the top of the pasties.

4 Place a tablespoon of the cooled potato-leek mixture on to one half of one pastry circle, and top with two slices of cheese. Next, beat the egg and, using a pastry brush, brush the edge of the pastry circle with the egg before folding over to cover the filling and pressing down the edges well to seal. Repeat with the other two pasties. Once you have completed all three, brush the pasties with the remaining egg and attach the leaf shapes, if using. Pierce a little hole in the top of each pasty to let the air out, then place on a baking tray lined with baking parchment and bake for 15 minutes at the top of the oven until they are golden brown.

THE COURTYARD DAIRY, YORKSHIRE Buy the best British blues from this multi-award-winning cheesemonger near Settle (thecourtyarddairy.co.uk).

THE NEWT, SOMERSET

Try a host of West Country cheeses, such as Bath Blue Organic and Keen’s Cheddar (thenewtinsomerset.com).

NEAL’S YARD DAIRY, LONDON This stalwart sells speciality ‘Territorials’ including Appleby’s Cheshire and Cornish Yarg (nealsyarddairy.co.uk).

MIKE’S FANCY CHEESE, BELFAST From Young Buck blue to Ballylisk brie, get a flavour of fromage from across Northern Ireland (mfcheese.com).

THE CHEESE LADY, EAST LOTHIAN Take out a subscription and savour fine seasonal cheeses (from £39.50 per month; thecheeselady.co.uk).