Proper yoghurt

Perhaps it was made by the catering staff, , yogagran.

I remember a woman I worked with in 1963 eating yogurt bought from the shop; we all tried some and disliked it as it was so sour!

A bit earlier than that grandma60, I was at a convent in the early to mid 50's and we used to get yogurt for lunch in great big enamel bowls, like washing up bowls. It put me off yogurt for years!

If I am right, yoghurt first appeared in the UK back in the 60s. I remember it tasting much more sour than it is now. The only flavours I can remember were strawberry, raspberry and mandarin.

Yes, sorry Anno, I should have been clearer that it is Greek yoghurt we can't get. Lots of the ordinary sort and we do like the organic Deux Vaches.

Mamie, Aldi in Provence had heaps of yoghurt, flavoured and natural, full fat, low fat and no fat. When on holiday there, my breakfast is a ripe peach or nectarine with yoghurt. Very healthy - sets me up for the wine and cheese of the rest of the day. In the south west, my sister and I had no problem getting it at Monoprix in Perpignan.

Not quite what you're all talking about but when I was weaning my DS. He absolutely loved M&S Thick and Creamy yogurt. His favourite flavour was mandarin. I don't think they make it any longer, after all this was nearly 30 years ago.

I don't eat very much yogurt myself, but DH always has his supply in the fridge.

You can't eat a bowl of hard cheese with your fruit for breakfast though

Yes I am sure they do rosequartz. Ours all goes off to Elle et Vire (you have to be very careful not to meet the tanker on the bend) and I imagine it gets turned into cheese and butter. Problem is (whispers softly so neighours don't hear), I don't much like Camembert, Livarot or Pont l'Eveque....
I quite like brie, but mostly we buy hard cheeses from the Pays Basque.

grannyknot I'm just about to do an online Tesco shop and would really like to know which yogurt it was that you mentioned in your original post. It sounds good and I'd like to give it a try so a bit more information would be much appreciated

Perhaps they turn it all into delicious cheese?

We do have an Aldi, but no yoghurt, alas. It is such a problem here getting fresh milk, cream and yoghurt. I think the French would use fromage frais, but I just don't fancy that on my muesli. We were in the south-east, near the Spanish border in the summer and when we crossed over to go to Lidl's there, it had a huge cabinet of fresh milk. Also no problem in southen Spain where our son lives. Here, in Normandy, with dairy cows visible from every window, the supply is very limited.
I was told by a very snotty young man in one supermarket that the French don't like the taste of fresh milk.
Presumably why the coffee tastes so vile.

Do you have an Aldi, Mamie? I bought some very delicious thick plain yogurt in an Aldi in the UK a few weeks ago (can't remember the name of the yogurt, as we don't have a nearby Aldi).

Yes it is frustrating not being able to buy Greek yoghurt easily here. I will try the straining method though. Our recipe is from Moro.
I am always looking at substitutes for flour-based sauces now and am making moussaka tonight with mozarella and parmesan. Might use a bit of yoghurt too!

I use it in all white sauces now, I rarely make any using flour or cream so would be lost without it. I also use it half and half in coleslaw and potato and pasta salads. I also used it last night in grannyknot's excellent smoked mackerel pasta dish, although I didn't bake it. If I want dessert during the week, I add a handful of granola to a small bowl of it. I would be lost without it! Learning to make it years ago released me from a lifetime of having to make cheese sauce for a cheese-mad OH. Greek-style yoghourt released me from hours of my life standing stirring the stuff so as not to let it burn yet again.

I do the reducing on top of the woodburner janerowena. Also use it for de-frosting and slow cooking.
We are lucky here in that creamy unpasteurised milk is readily available. What we can't get very easily is Greek yoghurt. Lidl's don't sell it and it is rare to see it in the supermarkets. I use a lot in Indian and Middle Eastern cookery so we need quite a lot. The Deux Vaches is fine on muesli which is how we eat it.
We are still on a no-sugar diet (apart from natural sugars in fruit).

My husband makes yoghurt and it comes out as a sort of French set yoghurt that can be strained as much or as little as we want to make a delicious thick and creamy Greek style.
My husband also regularly makes a delicious sauerkraut that freezes beautifully and uses some of the many cabbages we grow on the allotment.

I love plain yoghourt, and yes I made it for years. But now that Tesco do a thick greek-alike one for only £1 it's just not worth it, the milk costs far more. I love it on its own, or just with lemon juice.

Yes, I do strain it to make curd cheese grannyknot. However, those of you who are reducing your milk, it's not necessary. Just make the yoghourt and then strain it until it reaches the consistency you want, test it every half hour and it won't cost as much in power. I just use a very fine sieve over a little stand that fits on a pudding basin. I use the whey to make bread with, or as a drink which is lovely cold.

When I kept goats I used to make yoghurt in a thermos flask. I would heat the milk until I could just hold my finger in it while I counted 10, then stir in a teaspoon of commercial yoghurt. Then it was poured into the flask and left overnight. Worked every time. I also used to strain some of it through muslin to make a soft cheese which I flavoured with herbs and a pinch of salt.

I used to make yogurt, I had an electric yogurt maker with glass pots and another one more like a thermos bowl. I used to add milk powder to the milk to make the yogurt thicker.

Nowadays I buy Fage Greek yogurt and add fruit, nuts, honey, jam, whatever I feel like. It is nice and thick.
But NOT MARMITE!! You can't do that to Marmite!
Although I don't much like coconut, I love the Rachel's coconut yogurt - could probably eat a whole big tub in one go if I didn't restrain myself.

DH likes the fruity corner ones which are probably not real yogurt.

Thanks nanabelle... I'll give it a go.

Why do they make so many of those corner pots with strange cerealy mixtures in them?

For Easiyo you don't need any milk - it is just cold water.

I have to say I did not like the fruit ones as much as the Greek/honey one.

I love Easiyo yogurt. I get it from Ocado. It's so easy to make and doesn't need electricity. GC love the banana and the strawberry whilst I enjoy the coconut. I also make the plain as GS likes it on his chips and I use it as a dressing instead of mayonnaise from time to time. It lasts me a couple of weeks so the packs don't seem too expensive.

Henetha - I don't think natural yogurt today tastes as sour as it used to. It seems to be creamier somehow. And is a lovely thick creamy consistency too.

I always have yeo valley natural and full fat too! Gone off all this low fat malarkey. Also love their lemon curd yogs for a treat and also Amore orange yog is to die for!
I too have the EasyYo but it does have a different taste. Must try using it with a couple of spoonfuls of yeo valley and warm milk and see if that works too. We used to have an electric yog maker with six small pots in it. I think 30 years ago the yogs were mostly fruity and sugary so I liked to make the children natural ones and then add home made fruit purée or honey. Now I mostly just buy ready made!
And as for men and yogurt - my dh has never even tasted it!