Spreads and Pâtés

Feta and Herb Spread

Brined white cheese on its own is too salty and too dry to spread, so it needs softening — cream cheese and a spoonful of sour cream make it creamy without burying the flavour. The herbs go in chopped by knife: a blender turns dill into green slurry and dyes the whole bowl a colour nobody ordered. And it needs no salt whatsoever.

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Feta and Herb Spread — the finished dish
Prep
15 min
Rest
1 h
Total
1 h 15 min
Servings
8
Level
Easy
Per serving
190 kcal

Ingredients

  • What to use instead

    Any firm brined cheese works; a softer feta needs slightly less sour cream to loosen it.

Makes: about 500 g, serves 8

Method

  1. Step 1: Taste the cheese

    Cut off a piece and try it. If it is very salty, soak it in cold water for 20 minutes and pat it dry.

  2. Step 2: Grate it coarsely

    Grate on the coarse side or crumble with a fork. A fine grater clogs and turns the cheese into a putty.

  3. Step 3: Work in the cream cheese

    Mash the two cheeses with the garlic until even, or blitz for 30 seconds if you prefer a completely smooth spread.

  4. Step 4: Get the texture right

    You want a mass that holds a peak on the spoon without slumping. Add the sour cream a teaspoon at a time until it does.

  5. Step 5: Fold in the herbs

    Chop the dill and spring onion finely by knife and stir them through. Pepper to taste — but no salt, the cheese has plenty.

  6. Step 6: Chill

    An hour in the fridge under film. The garlic spreads through the whole bowl and the spread firms up.

  7. Step 7: Serve

    Pile it into a bowl, make a well with the back of a spoon and pour in the olive oil. Serve with warm bread or raw vegetables.

Tips & variations

  • Tip

    This holds its shape well, so you can pipe it into tartlet shells or halved boiled eggs straight from a piping bag.

  • Variation

    A spoonful of mashed roasted red pepper adds a sweet counterweight and a pink blush.

  • Swap

    Any firm brined cheese works; a softer feta needs slightly less sour cream to loosen it.

  • Storage

    Four days in a sealed jar in the fridge. The herbs darken over time, so keep some dill back for serving.

Nutrition

Approximate nutrition per serving and for the whole dish
1 serving Whole dish 8 servings
Energy190 kcal1,520 kcal
Protein9 g72 g
Fat16 g128 g
Carbohydrates2 g16 g

Approximate values calculated from standard ingredient data.

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