Yayla Guide: Turkish Dairy, Yogurt & Cheese

Yayla is one of the most trusted names in Turkish dairy across Europe, supplying the yogurts, cheeses and pastries that keep expat kitchens running. If you grew up with a tub of thick village yogurt always in the fridge and a block of beyaz peynir on the breakfast table, Yayla is the brand that recreates that fridge in the UK. Here is what to know about each corner of the range.

Yogurt: The Foundation of Turkish Cooking

Turkish cuisine treats yogurt as an ingredient, not just a snack, and Yayla covers every use case. The 10% fat strained yogurt (suzme) is thick enough to hold a spoon upright, perfect for cacik, dips and dolloping over iskender. The 3% village yogurt is the everyday all-rounder for soups and marinades, while the creamy premium and golden yogurts are for eating straight with a drizzle of honey. If a recipe says Greek yogurt, strained Turkish yogurt does the same job with more tang.

Ayran: The National Drink

Yayla's natural ayran, the salted yogurt drink, comes in handy 250ml cups and 1-litre bottles, plus a sour village style for those who like it sharp and a mint version for summer. Nothing cuts through a plate of grilled lahmacun or a spicy Adana wrap like cold ayran, and it is far cheaper to keep a bottle at home than to buy it cup by cup at the kebab shop.

The Cheese Counter

This is where Yayla really shines. The 800g white feta-style cheese in 55% fat is the classic breakfast beyaz peynir, briny and creamy, while the combi white cheese is a milder budget-friendly block. Beyond feta styles, there is kashkaval, the semi-hard melting cheese for toasties and topping baked pasta; Erzincan-type tulum, a crumbly, intense aged cheese traditionally matured in goatskin that is superb with raki or crushed over pide; and labne, the silky cream cheese that spreads like velvet on warm bread. Sheep and goat cheeses complete the counter for purists who want that distinct tang.

Butter, Cream and Breakfast Extras

Yayla's farm butter, in salted and unsalted 250g blocks, has the rich yellow colour of proper dairy butter and is the right choice for finishing bulgur pilav or brushing borek. The 200g village cream (kaymak-style) belongs on honey-drizzled breakfast bread, and the fresh cream lifts soups and pasta sauces. Add a jar of their spiced black olives or scratched green olives and the Turkish breakfast table is complete.

Borek and Pastry: Dinner in the Freezer

Yayla is also a lifesaver on busy weeknights. Ready filo pastry leaves in several cuts, including long leaves and thin borek sheets, mean homemade sigara boregi without rolling dough from scratch. Even easier are the ready-to-bake 700g borek trays filled with cheese, spinach, potato or minced meat: 40 minutes in the oven and you have a golden tray to feed the family. The frozen lahmacun five-pack crisps up in minutes for an instant Turkish pizza night. You can find the full Yayla range at Turkish Online Market with chilled delivery across the UK.