The Food Programme

Greek Yogurt: a global love affair


Listen Later

In the Great Taste Awards last year, a yogurt from a small British dairy beat over 10,000 competitors to win the Supreme Champion title. This surprised many, not least because it was a simple, plain, 'Greek-style' yogurt.

This type of fermented milk product, often strained to remove whey, is a relative newcomer in the UK - but is on the rise. In fact, Greek and Greek-style yogurt is the fastest growing sector of the UK yogurt market. It has also been at the centre of a High Court battle, an American health craze and a multi-billion dollar yogurt war.

In this edition of the Food Programme, Sheila Dillon discovers the secrets of making this thick, creamy... and delicious cultured food. It was originally made in this country by immigrants such as the founders of Tim's Dairy, now run by four brothers whose Greek Cypriot uncle started making yogurt in a small London workshop in 1949, and now make around five to ten thousand litres of Greek-style yogurt a day.

Collete and David Strachan are dairy farmers, but after losing cows (even though none were infected) during BSE and with the price of milk spiralling ever downward, the future of their Suffolk farm was in question. Ten years ago they started to experiment with yogurt-making, and along the way, as Sheila discovers, they have been joined by two of their children James and Katherine- and it's their plain Greek-style yogurt made at Marybelle Dairy that has just won the Supreme Champion award.

So what is 'Greek' yogurt? With the help of BBC producer Aylin Bozyap-Hannen who learnt how to make yogurt from her Turkish mother, Sheila reveals a traditional, regional food that has been on an incredible, controversial, and tasty journey.

Producer: Rich Ward.

...more
View all episodesView all episodes
Download on the App Store

The Food ProgrammeBy BBC Radio 4

  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6
  • 4.6

4.6

241 ratings


More shows like The Food Programme

View all
Global News Podcast by BBC World Service

Global News Podcast

7,763 Listeners

From Our Own Correspondent by BBC Radio 4

From Our Own Correspondent

371 Listeners

Business Daily by BBC World Service

Business Daily

527 Listeners

More or Less by BBC Radio 4

More or Less

892 Listeners

Newshour by BBC World Service

Newshour

1,057 Listeners

Woman's Hour by BBC Radio 4

Woman's Hour

405 Listeners

World Business Report by BBC World Service

World Business Report

300 Listeners

In Our Time by BBC Radio 4

In Our Time

5,519 Listeners

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4 by BBC Radio 4

Friday Night Comedy from BBC Radio 4

2,118 Listeners

Desert Island Discs by BBC Radio 4

Desert Island Discs

2,094 Listeners

Gardeners' Question Time by BBC Radio 4

Gardeners' Question Time

280 Listeners

The Food Chain by BBC World Service

The Food Chain

350 Listeners

Ramblings by BBC Radio 4

Ramblings

161 Listeners

Inside Health by BBC Radio 4

Inside Health

97 Listeners

The Life Scientific by BBC Radio 4

The Life Scientific

239 Listeners

All in the Mind by BBC Radio 4

All in the Mind

62 Listeners

Evil Genius with Russell Kane by BBC Sounds

Evil Genius with Russell Kane

341 Listeners

Have You Heard George's Podcast? by BBC Sounds

Have You Heard George's Podcast?

234 Listeners

Sliced Bread by BBC Radio 4

Sliced Bread

164 Listeners

Elis James and John Robins by BBC Radio 5 Live

Elis James and John Robins

332 Listeners

Good Food by Good Food

Good Food

43 Listeners

You're Dead to Me by BBC Radio 4

You're Dead to Me

3,210 Listeners

Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley by BBC Radio 4

Just One Thing - with Michael Mosley

202 Listeners

Sport's Strangest Crimes by BBC Radio 5 Live

Sport's Strangest Crimes

71 Listeners

This Cultural Life by BBC Radio 4

This Cultural Life

130 Listeners

Uncanny by BBC Radio 4

Uncanny

683 Listeners

Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley by BBC Radio 4

Lady Killers with Lucy Worsley

578 Listeners

Believe in Magic by BBC Sounds

Believe in Magic

626 Listeners

The Global Story by BBC World Service

The Global Story

370 Listeners

Miss Me? by BBC Sounds

Miss Me?

244 Listeners

The History Podcast by BBC Radio 4

The History Podcast

57 Listeners

Rory Stewart: The Long History of... by BBC Radio 4

Rory Stewart: The Long History of...

79 Listeners

What's Up Docs? by BBC Radio 4

What's Up Docs?

117 Listeners

The History Bureau by BBC

The History Bureau

112 Listeners