A tangy cheese starter: Labneh in olive oil

Makes about 12 balls
500g homemade yoghurt
½ tsp salt
Zest of 1 lemon
1 tbsp dried oregano
2 garlic cloves, peeled and bashed
Chilli flakes, to taste (optional)
Olive oil, in which to submerge the balls of labneh

1 Put a sieve over a bowl and line it with a piece of clean cheesecloth or muslin or any soft cotton fabric.

2 Stir the salt into the yoghurt then pour the yoghurt into the centre of the cheesecloth. Pull the four corners of the cheesecloth up and tie it into a bag with some string. Suspend it over the bowl overnight to allow the whey to drain. If your kitchen is cold enough, you can drain the yoghurt outside the fridge, otherwise do it in the fridge.

3 When it is firm and drained, with wet hands roll the labneh into balls and store in a jar or container. Add the lemon zest, dried oregano, garlic cloves and chilli, if using, and pour olive oil over the labneh balls to marinate.

4 Serve with roasted vegetables as part of a substantial salad, or on bruschetta. The labneh will keep in the fridge for a couple of weeks.