Make Your Own Yogurt

Hi all,

I hope you are all safe and well. It’s been a while since my last post. I want to reassure you I have been busy grafting and not taking an extended holiday- I wish!

I have recently started producing and selling DIY food kits locally. It all started after our holiday to Tuscany was cancelled in June due to Covid-19. To take my mind off the cancelled holiday and cheer my holiday companions up. I made a 3 course Italian meal and hand delivered it to 20 people. It included homemade bruschetta, sourdough toast with garlic butter, kilos of hand made tagliatelle pasta and the largest tiramisu you have ever seen.

The Traditional Pasta Kit

I loved making the Italian meal for my friends and family, and they really enjoyed it. My cousin then gave me the idea to create food kits for people to eat my food at home. Thats how The Delectable Garden at home was born.

The first kit I created was The Traditional Pasta kit. It was based on the successful Italian night and included a ball of pasta dough with video instructions on how to roll and cut your own tagliatelle. This time it was for 33 people and thankfully all were extremely happy with the kit.

The Sourdough Pizza Kit

I’m currently working on The Sourdough Pizza Kit. A kit designed to show people how to make Neapolitan style pizzas using a frying pan. Fancy pizza ovens are good, but aren’t always required to make delicious artisan pizzas. The first night is this Saturday and I’m hoping for another successful night. If you live in Nottinghamshire and are interested in the kits follow me on Instagram and Facebook for dates.

Make Your Own Yogurt

At the weekend I posted a picture of my new yogurt maker, I can’t tell you how excited I was. A neighbour told me that you can make your own yogurt quite easily. They thought I would be interested in the process and told me about how they regularly make it for their family. Obviously this appealed to the foodie in me and the idea of freshly yogurt stuck in my head.

My neighbour then made me a pot of homemade Greek-style yogurt and I was sold. It was the thickest most luxurious Greek-style yogurt I had ever tasted (outside of Greece obviously). I could not believe he had made it in his home and how easy he made it sound.

I was surprised by the amount of people interested in yogurt making. After receiving several messages for a follow up I decided to do an independent review of the yogurt maker I purchased from Lakeland.

The Possibilities

After I’d tasted the homemade yogurt I was excited by the possibilities…

I could make it to top my homemade honey and almond granola.

I love homemade Tzatziki but you can’t buy thick enough Greek-style yogurt to make good quality homemade Tzatziki like you get in Greece. The yogurt my neighbour made was perfect for Tzatziki.

I also really want to make my own Labneh. A Lebanese-style soft cheese made from a thick yogurt. I could make my own Greek-style yogurt to make my own Labneh.

This is how my brain works, food food food!

Gary and I visited Harrogate last week and stumble on Lakeland, I had to pop in and treat myself. The machine I bought was £24.99. It had good reviews and at that price I would soon make enough yogurt for it to pay for itself.

Yogurt Maker Review

The Good

The machine is light, compact and appears to be well made. The unit and different components are all easy to wash. It has a simple digital display and comes with a manual that contains some recipes and encourages the user to experiment. As well as natural and greek-style yogurt the machine can also make soft cheese and yogurt from plant based milks.

What could be better?

It’s a pretty good piece of kit. I used it for the first time on Sunday night and on Monday I had made Greek-style yogurt for the first time. The only thing that needs improving is the instruction manual, its a little vague . I had to call my neighbour to check I was doing it right. He also had some really good hint’s and tips that weren’t in the manual. However after using the machine once I probably won’t have to look at the manual again.

Overall

It’s seems like a good machine for the price. Some gadgets run the risk of becoming a fad but if you regularly eat soft cheese or yogurt, the machine would quickly become a staple kitchen appliance.

At The Delectable Garden I always try to make what food I can to reduce waste and to control what goes into my food. Natural yogurt is simply made from yogurt and milk, yet some store bought yogurt add additives for flavour and to increase shelf life. What appeals most to me is that I can make fresh yogurt that will last 3-4 days in the fridge and have the option to add the likes of honey and fruit for flavour and sweetness. Overall I give it a 4.5 out of 5.

This is an independent review. I have not been paid or gifted by Lakeland. It is a review of the product I purchased, not a comparison against other yogurt makers.

Yogurt Recipes

The first thing I did with the fresh Greek-style yogurt is dollop it on some Homemade Honey and Oat Granola, topped with blueberries and a drizzle of honey, delicious! I’m looking forward to playing around with the yogurt maker and sharing recipes and tips in the future.

If you make your own yogurt and have some tips and recipes for me to try get in touch on social media.

I’m currently working on some exciting new recipes and will be back soon to share.

Lee