Labneh

• Place a fine sieve over a bowl or line a colander with muslin or a linen cloth.
• Tip yoghurt into sieve, cover with clean tea towel and leave to drain in fridge for 2 hours or overnight. Buffalo yoghurt is extra thick so it will need to be pressed to remove some of the liquid (whey).
• The curd that remains should be thick and solid enough to be shaped. Discard the whey. Tip curd into a clean bowl. Add garlic, salt and a good grind of pepper and stir. Taste and adjust seasoning if needed. Shape curd into logs or balls.
• Place chopped herbs on a plate. Roll each log or ball in herbs. The labneh can be served immediately or stored in the fridge in a sealed container.

Tips:

• Use natural full-cream yoghurt, which you can find in supermarkets. Low-fat yoghurt won’t work.
• To use curd as the basis of a yoghurt dip or tzatziki, mix in grated cucumber (strain first to remove moisture). Add flavourings such as finely chopped mint, lemon zest or chopped sun-dried tomatoes or olives. Drizzle in some olive oil and season well.
• To give labneh as a present, or to preserve it to take on holiday, roll mini balls of curd in a mix of dried herbs and dried chilli flakes. Place in a clean jar and cover with a 70:30 mix of olive oil and high-quality sunflower oil.