Tesco Halloumi Cheese > Reviews (11)

A friend of mine recently introduced me to a new type of cheese called Halloumi. Being a cheese lover already, I was more then willing to try it but have to say that it is very different from any other type of cheese.

Halloumi comes from Cyprus and is usually made from goats and sheep’s milk. However, the version of this cheese that tends to be sold in the supermarket’s, is made with cow’s milk and does taste slightly different from the traditional recipe.

Halloumi has a texture which is most similar to Mozzarella and it is also the same light, almost white colour. Halloumi tends to come stored in salty water which doe make the cheese taste salty, but personally, I really love it.

I usually tend to buy my Halloumi from Tesco’s and the brand that I get from here is from the Discover range (the product shown in the photo). The blocks I buy comes in a 240 gram block and costs roughly £1.70. I always find that you really have to search for Halloumi in the shops as they never seem to stock very much of it compared to all the other, more popular cheeses.

The pack of Halloumi that I tend to buy comes in salt water as I previously mentioned. This is something to be aware of when opening the packaging. I tend to place to cheese on a worktop and slice the top of the packaging with a knife and then just life the cheese out. Halloumi is firm to the touch and feels quite artificial but certainly doesn’t taste it.

I always find cutting the cheese up slightly difficult because the cheese is moist and a tiny bit slippery so you must ensure you take care when attempting to cut it. Halloumi can be eaten in various ways. My personal favourite way of eating it is to cut it into fairly thin slices and then place it under the grill for 5-10 minutes until the outside starts to brown off. Another easy way of cooking it is to fry it. This is also quite a healthy option as you don’t need to use any cooking oil and the oils within the cheese ooze out as you cook it. In the summer, I always serve Halloumi skewers at BBQ’s and they are always really popular. I simply cube the Halloumi and then place it onto skewers between veg such as mushrooms, red pepper, onion and courgette. These are great to offer to vegetarians at BBQ’s.

Halloumi doesn’t really taste of very much, just a little bit cheesy and maybe slightly bland if anything compared so some of the other cheeses. I guess in that sense it is very similar to Mozzarella. The most unique thing about this cheese is definitely the texture and the fact that it squeaks when you eat it.

As with most cheese, Halloumi does have a pretty high fat content. The packet I have states that there are 311 calories per 100 grams so this isn’t a product you should be eating everyday!

In conclusion, I would certainly recommend Halloumi to buyers. I think it is an extremely unique cheese that can be used in a variety of ways. Although it is slightly more expensive than your average cheese, I still think that the price offers good value for money. Another advantage of Halloumi is that is has a really long shelf life, I have kept a sealed packet in my fridge for over 4 months and it has been fine. Halloumi is a firm favourite in my household and I would highly recommend it to anyone wanting to try something new.