Herb cream cheese

A spread of about 30 g—roughly two level tablespoons—is a useful portion for a sandwich or a jacket potato. That amount provides 87 kcal.

Take the pan off the heat before stirring it in, and loosen it with a splash of pasta water or milk. Avoid boiling the sauce once the cheese is added.

Keep it covered in the fridge and use a clean knife or spoon each time. Follow the pack’s after-opening guidance, and discard it if you see mould.

You can, but freezing often leaves it grainy or watery when thawed, so it is better suited to cooked sauces or fillings than to spreading. Thaw it in the fridge and stir well before using.

Spread it on toast, bagels or crispbreads, or use it to fill baked potatoes and sandwiches with cucumber, smoked salmon or roasted vegetables. It also makes a quick dip with raw carrot and celery sticks.

Yes, especially in savoury dips, sandwich fillings and pasta sauces; reduce added salt and herbs because the cheese is already seasoned. For baking or sweet recipes, plain cream cheese is usually a better choice.

Quark with herbs has more protein: 9.49 g per 100 g, compared with 5.3 g in herb cream cheese. Quark with herbs is also much lower in energy, at 80 kcal per 100 g.