New soft cheese ‘superfood’ gets listing with Brakes

Lake District Dairy Co. Quark, from First Milk, looks like a soft cheese and is high in protein and low in sugar and salt.

Suitable for a number of typical breakfast, lunch and dinner dishes, quark was touted as a ‘cheese that can help you lose weight’ in a recent Daily Mail​ article.

It cited Jennifer Lopez and Carole Middleton as being among celebrity fans.

Claimed to be the only dairy ingredient that is ‘all green’ on the Guideline Daily Amount scores, Brakes said quark was an “obvious choice” for caterers when planning healthy menu options.

Sweet and savoury​

Available in three varieties – original, vanilla and lemon – the product can replace the likes of cream cheese, double cream, mascarpone, Greek yoghurt and crème fraiche in both sweet and savoury recipes.

Meals prepared with quark provide a significantly reduced fat and calorie count per serving. A New York-style cheesecake, for example, would have 483 fewer calories, while an Eton mess would have 528 fewer calories.

Peter Innes, product development manager at Brakes, said: “Quark is the perfect ingredient for the busy chef or caterer looking to make that simple swap to their existing recipes to make them healthier and its spoonable velvety texture makes it easy and versatile for so many dishes.

“Being a British-produced product is a bonus too – especially as kitchens strive to buy local and display their support of farmers here in the UK.”

Sky-rocketing popularity​

Glyn Hughes, commercial director at First Milk, highlighted the value of the new deal: “It’s great to now be able to distribute Lake District Dairy Co. Quark to the thousands of UK pubs, restaurants, coffee shops and larger-scale catering providers in the Brakes network. 

“The popularity of quark in the UK is sky-rocketing – consumer demand and retail sales in the category have increased by 37%in the last year, with Lake District Dairy Co. leading that growth.”

Winner of the Best Functional Dairy Product at the Global Dairy Innovation Awards, Lake District Dairy Co. Quark is available in 2kg tubs.