I always have feta cheese in my fridge. It keeps for about a year and is good for quiches, salads and scattering over grilled/roasted veg. But there’s more to Greek cheeses than just feta. Halloumi – which I tend to eat sliced and spread with jam or honey (sorry). Or I have it fried in a little olive oil as part of a mezze for a salady lunch.

I have recently been cooking with the Yamas range of Greek and Cypriot cheeses, available from this week in UK supermarkets. Their cutest product (and most useful) is Halloumi burgers, pre-sliced rounds, vac-packed. Of course, we’ve always known we can fry halloumi for a veggie burger but this just makes it the right shape and presents it in a form that’s easier for the home cook. You can also top a regular burger with a fried halloumi round for an extra savoury, cheesy layer, just before you slather on the relishes and sliced gherkin. There’s also smoked feta, and Graviera, an almost Gruyere-like hard cheese.

I was shown how to cook with these cheeses by the unbelievably stunning, glamorous and youthful Tonia Buxton, presenter of The Discovery Channel’s My Greek Kitchen (plus she’s really nice). The pic is her recipe for Feta and Fig Tart (which I made), and here’s how to make it:

Recipe: Feta and Fig Tarts

Ingredients: (makes 4 tarts)

1 tbsp olive oil

25g butter

1 onion, peeled and sliced lengthways

1 tbsp demerera sugar (or any sugar)

1 clove garlic, chopped

pre-rolled puff pastry, cut into 4 squares or circles

1 tbsp balsamic vinegar

2 fresh figs, cut into eighths

2 sprigs fresh thyme

1 tbsp honey

100g Yamas feta or smoked feta

salt and pepper

Method: Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius.  Heat oil and butter in a frying pan and sweat the onion for about 20 minutes, adding the sugar after 5 mins and garlic after 10. Towards the end of cooking time add balsamic, honey, thyme leaves, salt (not much!) and pepper. Stir. Line 4 small tart tins with the pastry, or make one big tart. Spoon in the onion mix. Top with the fig. Cover with crumbled feta. Cook 15-20 mins till the pastry is cooked and the cheese is golden brown. Serve with a salad, perhaps rocket and cheery tomato with a vinaigrette. Lovely as a starter or light lunch. My kids loved it because of the sweetness from the honey and figs.