Amanteigado Soft Sheep's Milk Cheese

This is an amanteigado, a soft and buttery Portuguese sheep's milk cheese. Amanteigado means "buttery", and that is exactly the point: you cut the top off and scoop out the warm, spoonable heart.

Flavour and texture

Amanteigado cheeses have a thin, supple rind around a paste that turns runny as it ripens, especially at room temperature. Sheep's milk gives a rich, slightly salty taste with a pleasant bitter edge when the milk is curdled with thistle, as is traditional in Portugal.

Food pairing

Take it out of the fridge an hour before, slice off the lid and dip in with toasted bread or crackers. Add a spoon of quince paste or honey. Good wines: Moscatel de Setúbal, a fresh Bucelas Arinto, or a light, fruity Lisboa red.

About amanteigado cheese

Amanteigado is a style rather than a single cheese: you find it in the Beira, the Alentejo and the Setúbal Peninsula. Each dairy makes its own, but all aim for the same soft, creamy heart.

Good to know

• Keep refrigerated in cheese or waxed paper, and take it out 30 to 60 minutes before serving
• Soft Portuguese sheep's milk cheese
• Serve at room temperature for the creamiest texture