Anyone who has come off dairy-- or anyone looking at decreasing the amount of dairy in their diet-- knows that it is a pretty daunting move, leaving behind a large number of the foods we eat everyday. I (Heather) removed dairy from my diet because it was making me really ill. The lady who tested me was really helpful, and gave me so many ideas as to what to eat as a dairy replacement. To be perfectly honest, the hardest challenge of living without dairy has been living without cheese. I used to chuck cheese onto everything; mashed potato, shepherd's pie, cheese on toast, cheesey chips (after one too many drinks!). I have had to re-adjust my entire way of eating (especially when dining out) to accompany this big change. So I am going to share with you some of my new experiences with the dairy-free cheese world: what I have enjoyed, and what I have not found to my own tastes.
Buffalo mozzarella has been a lifesaver. It tastes exactly like normal mozzarella, looks exactly like normal mozzarella, and melts into pizzas divinely. I use this cheese for salads, pizzas, and for melting onto everything! This is probably the most accessable cheese of them all when eating out, depending on the restauraunt (Zizzi's is a personal favourite as I can actually go out and eat a pizza). In the UK, you can generally buy it in most big supermarkets. If you have come off dairy because it makes you ill, just watch your intakes as sometimes it can make me feel slightly queezy (don't go eating a big ball all in one sitting like I have done in the past!...).
Sheep's cheese- where can I start with this beauty?! This is the first cheese I loved after the big switch, and I haven't looked back. It doubles as my normal cheese substitute in every way, from grating it into my mashed potato to slathering all over chips. It is strong enough to hold its' own as a cheddar replacement, and has the same texture. There is a slight aftertaste if you eat enough of it, and when it melts down it becomes slightly stronger. I have only ever found this in Sainsbury's and it comes in teeny tiny slabs which are quite expensive, but for a return to authentic flavour I find it very worthwhile.
Manchego cheese is really very nice, I use it more as a parmesan replacement, as it has that hard, dark quality to it. I have found it in most supermarkets: if you want to try it out, it features in quite a few Marks and Spencer products.
Proper Greek Feta cheese. I love it, it is so strong and so crumbly that it doesnt take much to satisfy any cheesy craving! It's the ultimate salad cheese; I will admit I have gone through a block once just as my dinner alone! Put it with sundried tomatoes for the ultimate taste heaven. You have to watch when buying feta that the manufacturers haven't snuck any cheeky cow into the mix. This makes it slightly more expensive but it's so so worth it. I have seen the good stuff in most shops.
Cheese spread isn't exactly cheese but I was an addict and a half before it got taken out and I actually squealed when I went to the Tesco FreeFrom aisle and saw all different flavours of cheese spread waiting there for me. Sure it's no Dairylea, but it's a nice Soya based alternative, which is great for vegans as well as dairy free kiddos. It doesn't look the most appealing (nice tinge of grey) but it tastes nice and fills that cheesy void I've had since April.
Soya cheese. This is probably the cheese I have touched the least. I have brought it and tried it and it is different. It's pretty rubbery and very very mild in the mouth but is workable. Probably a good cheese for little kids that aren't eating cheese to get some protein in (although I'd advise against a soya overload!). I have brought this from Tesco before.
Halloumi cheese --when you can actually find it without the added cow-- is yummy, melted goodness. Absolutely lovely on a burger or with chicken, it can be found everywhere, but you have to watch the milk content from brand to brand.
Now for the cheese that I just cannot get my taste buds around... goats cheese. So so many people love it, and I'm not knocking that-- you too may absolutely adore it-- but to me, it smells and tastes like eating a farm and I just cannot abide this. My baby brother adores it but it is just not for me. If you love super strong cheese you will most likely love this too! You can get this from all shops and quite alot of local conveniance shops too.
I hope this rundown of the best dairy-free cheese so far has been useful in some way, to give you some initial ideas on cheese alternatives and what to buy when first making the cheesy transition!
xoxox
