Almond, Herb & Garlic Cheese

serves 4-6

This easy to make vegan cheese is delicious fresh but it also freezes well. I use an individual tarte tatin dish to cook it but any small ovenproof container will suffice. You can also make individual little cheeses in muffin cases.

• 1 tsp dried oregano, rosemary or thyme (or a mixture)
• 150g (5oz) ground almonds
• 2 cloves garlic, pressed
• 2 tbsps lemon juice
• 55ml (2fl oz) olive oil
• 50g (2oz) coconut oil, melted in
• 110ml (4fl oz) boiling water
• ¼ tsp salt and a good grind of black pepper

Small ovenproof container

1. Preheat the oven to 170°c (150°c fan), gas mark 3
2. Line the base of the ovenproof container with parchment and grease the surface well. Sprinkle the container base and sides with ¾ of the dried herbs which will stick to the grease.
3. Place the remaining ingredients (except the remaining herbs) in a food processor and process until smooth and creamy then pour this into the prepared container. Level the surface and sprinkle with the remaining dried herbs.
4. Bake in the centre of the oven for about 30 minutes or until the cheese is starting to colour and set. It won’t be very firm at this stage but will set on cooling.
5. Allow the cheese to cool in the container, then turn out and remove the parchment before serving.

Simple Swaps

Lower the saturated fats by using olive oil instead of the coconut oil. The cheese will be much more crumbly but very acceptable. This version also makes a soft cream cheese if you omit the baking.

Cashew Cheese

Use cashew nuts instead of ground almonds in the above recipe but they need to be soaked at least 3-4 hours and preferably overnight in order to have a smooth creamy cheese.