Deep Fried Grimbister Cheese and Cranberry Sauce recipe

Grimbister farm cheese is a delicious firm but crumbly cheese made in the Orkney Islands.

In recent years in local restaurants, deep fried Grimbister farm cheese has become a favourite on the starter menu. This recipe shows you how easy it is to make at home!

The cows in Orkney enjoy fresh air and graze on clean grass, and as a result, the fresh milk produced locally tastes amazing. This is turn leads Grimbister farm cheese, made from a traditional recipe, to have a beautifully simple and delicate taste.

In recent years in local restaurants, Grimbister farm cheese has moved from the dessert menu, where it could be found on a cheeseboard with oatcakes and other biscuits, to being a favourite on the starter menu. There, it is enjoyed, deep fried with a sauce to compliment it, and served with fresh green salad leaves. We’ll show you how to easily make deep fried Grimbister cheese at home!

This recipe comes from Grimbister farm, and first appeared in the excellent recipe book, Peenk Fish and Peedie Tatties. We like this wintry sauce, but many other chutneys, pickles and sauces will go well with Grimbister cheese! It makes 3 to 4 servings.

Ingredients

For the deep fried Grimbister cheese

• 350g Grimbister cheese
• 100g plain flour
• 200g breadcrumbs
• 3 eggs lightly beaten

For the cranberry sauce

• 250g cranberries
• 30ml lemon juice
• 70g castor sugar
• 75ml water

Method

1. Start by making the sauce. Drop the cranberries, lemon juice, castor sugar and water into a saucepan and slowly bring to boiling point.
2. Simmer for a few minutes and gently mash the cranberries.

3. Once the mixture is quite thick, take off the heat.
4. Rub the sauce through a nylon or metal sieve into a bowl. This can be quite messy!
   

5. To make the deep-fried cheese, cut it into small wedges.
6. We divided our block of cheese into three semi-circles, and then cut each semi-circle into four triangles.
7. Coat with flour, dip in the beaten egg and then coat with breadcrumbs. Make sure the cheese is fully coated.

8. Set the deep fat fryer to 180 degrees.
9. Deep fry in hot oil until golden brown – this will only take about a minute. It is worth being delicate when taking the cheese in and out of the fryer basket.
10. Serve with cranberry sauce and salad.

Tip – if eaten immediately, the cheese will be quite molten – we prefer waiting for 5 minutes before eating!

By Magnus Dixon
Orkney and Shetland enthusiast, family man, loves walks, likes animals, terrible at sports, dire taste in music, adores audiobooks and films, eats a little too much for his own good.

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