The milk arrives at her west London cheesemaking facility within a few hours of the cows being milked, so the orbs of supple burrata and mozzarella, velvety stracciatella and other soft cheeses are ultra-fresh. Are they better than those made by her competitors in Italy? “I much prefer the flavour of the cheese we make,” she says.
Many leading chefs agree. La Latteria cheeses are firm favourites with the likes of Bocca Di Lupo, the Chiltern Firehouse and the Peninsula Hotel in London.
Mario Olianas, Yorkshire Pecorino
In 2001, Mario Olianas arrived in Britain from Sardinia for a six-month English language course, but after falling in love with his partner Sonia, he settled in Leeds and never looked back. Realising the sheep dotting the verdant Yorkshire Dales produced milk ideal for making pecorino, a beloved cheese of his homeland, he started Yorkshire Pecorino.
He credits the success of his award-winning range of sheep’s milk cheeses to the consistent supply of milk that flows from sheep that spend most of their lives outdoors. “It’s very, very good quality milk and comes from pasture that is green all year round,” Olianas explains. “In Sardinia the quality of the milk is not consistent throughout the year. In the summer the grass is brown and hard, and the sheep are much skinnier.”
His British-made pecorino is milder and sweeter than the Sardinian version, due to the sheep’s rich diet – but is it better? “I don’t want to get into an argument with Italians,” he laughs. “Italian cheese is beautiful but put it this way – a lot of Italians buy our cheese.”
International cheeses made in Britain
Pecorino
A family of Italian cheeses traditionally made with sheep’s milk, the texture and flavour depends on how long each one has aged. Hard and salty Pecorino Romano is the most famous and favoured in Italy for grating over pasta and soup.
Mozzarella
A soft fresh Italian cheese made with stretched curd, traditionally using buffalo milk, but these days, mostly with cow’s milk (sometimes known as fiordilatte).
Try: fratelliamodio.co.uk; buffaliciousuk.com
Stracciatella
A mixture of cream and shredded mozzarella sometimes leftover from mozzarella production.