Crowdie, the Crofter's Fresh Cheese

Name: Crowdie, the Crofter's Fresh Cheese
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 50 min
Yield: 4 servings
Cuisine: Scottish
Ingredients: 2000 ml Whole milk; 500 ml cultured buttermilk; 1 tsp Fine sea salt; 60 ml double cream; 50 g pinhead oatmeal; 10 g Unsalted butter; 1 tsp Black peppercorns; 1 tbsp Fresh chives; 8 item traditional oatcakes

A traditional Scottish soft fresh cheese with a clean, tangy flavour, seasoned with sea salt and rolled in nutty toasted oatmeal and cracked black pepper.

🇬🇧United Kingdom· Highlands

Prep: 20 min
Cook: 30 min
Total: 50 min
Servings: 4
Difficulty: Easy
Calories: 285 kcal

Ingredients

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Servings

2000 ml Whole milk — unpasteurised or standard whole milk, not UHT
500 ml cultured buttermilk — at room temperature
1 tsp Fine sea salt — to taste
60 ml double cream — rich fresh cream
50 g pinhead oatmeal — coarsely cut groats
10 g Unsalted butter — for toasting oats
1 tsp Black peppercorns — coarsely cracked
1 tbsp Fresh chives — finely chopped
8 item traditional oatcakes — for serving

Equipment

•Heavy-based saucepan
•Muslin (cheesecloth)
•Colander
•Frying pan
•Mixing bowl
•Kitchen string

Nutrition

Per serving, approximate

Calories: 285 kcal
fat: 19 g
carbs: 16 g
fibre: 2 g
protein: 14 g
calories: 285 kcal

Instructions

1
Pour the whole milk and buttermilk into a heavy-based saucepan and stir gently to combine.
2
Cover the pan with a lid and leave in a warm room for 24 to 48 hours until thick and sour.
3
Place the pan over the lowest possible heat on the hob without stirring.
4
Warm gently until the curds separate clearly from the pale green liquid whey, reaching roughly 45°C.
5
Line a colander with a double layer of muslin and set it over a large mixing bowl.
6
Ladle the curds into the lined colander, allowing the bulk of the whey to drain away.
7
Gather the corners of the muslin, tie with string, and suspend over a bowl to drain for two hours.
8
Melt the butter in a frying pan over medium heat and toast the pinhead oatmeal until golden and nutty.
9
Transfer the drained curds to a clean bowl, then beat in the sea salt and double cream until smooth.
10
Shape the cheese into a neat log and roll evenly in the toasted oatmeal and cracked black pepper.
11
Scatter with finely chopped fresh chives and serve immediately with crisp Scottish oatcakes.

Chef's tips

Never let the milk boil while warming, as excessive heat will make the curds rubbery and tough. You can reserve the drained liquid whey to use in place of water when baking soda scones or bread.

Ingredient substitutions

cultured buttermilk → 500 ml natural live plain yoghurt or 60 ml fresh lemon juice
pinhead oatmeal → rolled porridge oats lightly crushed in a mortar

Storage

Keep the cheese wrapped tightly in greaseproof paper inside an airtight container in the fridge for up to five days.

Reheating

Serve chilled or at room temperature; crowdie is a fresh cheese and should not be reheated.

Common mistakes to avoid

•Overheating the curds, which makes the cheese grainy instead of creamy.
•Squeezing the muslin tightly, which forces valuable curd through the cloth and dries out the cheese.
•Using ultra-heat-treated (UHT) milk, which prevents proper curd separation.

Serving suggestions

Spread generously across crisp Highland oatcakes with a smear of heather honey.Serve alongside smoked Scottish salmon and warm buttered soda farls.Plate as part of a traditional ploughman's lunch with pickled onions and beetroot chutney.