A COTTAGE INDUSTRY

Cottage cheese has been rebranded as the magical wellness curd of the moment. Ellie Muir finds out what’s driving the craze and whether this ubiquitous product is really all that

- Ellie Muir

A few months ago, I made a friend in the gym. Everything was relatively normal until our conversation turned to the inevitable topic of protein intake. I said I probably don’t eat enough of it, at which point she proudly presented a Tupperware container carrying her lunch: protein-rich chopped chicken floating in a mysterious pool of lumpy white goop. It was cottage cheese.

Not the most appetising lunch, I thought. But there is method to this culinary concoction: 100g of low-fat cottage cheese contains around 11g of protein, and it’s perfect for incorporating into a low-calorie diet, since, as well as being high in nutrients, it’s low in carbohydrates, fats and sugars (especially in comparison to other types of cheese).

My new gym friend isn’t alone in her pursuit of throwing the white stuff into absolutely every meal, either. Cottage cheese has recently undergone a major rebrand, leaving behind its 1970s, denture-friendly status to become the miracle wellness curd of the moment, aiding everything from weight loss to muscle growth.

Across the internet, you’ll find influencers sharing endless cottage cheese-based recipes. There’s one that recommends blending it up in a smoothie with added protein powder for breakfast. Another suggests spreading it on a slice of sourdough toast with smashed avocado at lunchtime. And, if you’re feeling really adventurous at dinner time, you can turn it into a pizza base and bake it in the oven, choosing your own toppings. For dessert? Why not try a cottage cheese and Reese’s lava brownie, which allegedly contains 15g of protein?