YORKSHIRE DAMA CHEESE
We’ve always been in awe of Razan Alsous, founder of Yorkshire Dama Cheese. Her story documenting her family’s flee from Syria back in 2012 to becoming an award-winning cheesemaker is well known to us and many others, but it’s such a story of triumph over adversity that we are happy to be able to share it with you as part of our Yorkshire Stories series.
Following the urban bombing of Damascus at the height of the Syrian civil war in 2012, Razan and her husband Raghid made the heartbreaking decision to escape their war-torn country of origin to protect their young family. The move to Yorkshire saw them land in Huddersfield as refugees. Back home Razan had studied Pharmacy and graduated from medical school, and her husband is an electronic engineer, but losing everything they owned made them look at life from a totally different perspective. Their Story had been set.
A self-confessed foodie, Razan loved to cook. Seeing food as shaping civilisation, she discovered new and hidden foodie skills right here in Yorkshire, though at this stage, never imagining herself making cheese. She missed the flavour of the halloumi cheese from Syria, which is a staple and usually made from ewe’s milk or goat’s milk. The supermarket cheese being made to a commercial standard from powdered milk certainly wasn’t hitting the spot!
Their plan had never been to make cheese but once Razan discovered the amazing and strong and distinctive taste of Yorkshire cow’s milk, she was inspired! She could immediately see the potential to produce halloumi cheese that took her right back to her Syrian roots. Spotting the demand for a quality halloumi in this country, her decision to put her scientific knowledge to good use, Yorkshire Dama Cheese was born.
There was a lot of hard work to get up and running to get their cheese just right, there’s a bit of science behind that. Well of course, that’s Razan’s influence! With the availability of cow’s milk there was no point in faithfully copying what the Bedouin do back in Syria with the milk from ewes and goats, but by using their creativity and knowledge they found a way to harness the raw material they had. It’s the different levels of protein and fat and relation between them that affect the ‘meatability’ and melting point of halloumi. Cow’s milk is soft and creamy, and they harnessed that to make what we know today as Yorkshire Dama Cheeses ‘Squeaky Cheese’. And they must be doing something right as they have to date won over 40 awards, in just the nine years since they set up the business!
It could only be Yorkshire that provides that award-winning and authentic flavour. It’s all down to the the grasslands that take up three-quarters of the Yorkshire Dales, and the links to farming providing the best quality milk, and in plentiful amounts too. Razan believes that Yorkshire is richer for its connections to food and drink, and one huge factor is in play here - the people. Those Yorkshire folk with their beautiful nature – the friendly, simple people who have welcomed their family and allowed them to integrate into society. Farmers are at the heart of this too – confident and connected with nature, who make food with love. Razan is passionate that food is not only made from the instructions in a recipe book, but should be made with love and care, and this is the real secret.
We couldn’t agree more that it's Yorkshire where Razan would choose to live is based solely on its culinary offerings. She loves the countryside, away from the noise and hamster wheel effect of living in the bigger cities, though they do have their benefits, especially when using technology to facilitate day to day life. She adores the area surrounding York, Harrogate and North Yorkshire and feels recharged with positive energy whenever she spends time there. Food also plays a big part in feeling connection and the identity of a place – reflecting our human qualities, lifestyle and culture. Seasonality of food also gives value – by learning how to work hard and wait for the results to appreciate it.
Each of the products that Yorkshire Dama produce has a different Story to tell, and Razan loves to tell the story of how Squeaky Cheese as a new chapter in her life, but it’s also the Labneh, spreadable yoghurt that reminds her of her childhood as she used to have it every day. Now she uses it to tell a different food story and uses it as a pasta sauce, with some roasted tomatoes, or a cheesecake. It’s that creativity that makes her thrive.
But there are new Stories that will be told. Razan has once again used her creativity and science knowledge to develop an alternative to halloumi cheese. Now studying food manufacturing technology at Sheffield Hallam University, she has looked to produce a new style of Squeaky Cheese called bread cheese, which is higher in protein and lower in fat. It will be semi baked and fit perfectly with the calls for products that are lower in carbs and fat, and high in protein. We’ve certainly gained from Razan’s passion for food and science, as she has managed to develop 7 flavours of Squeaky Cheese from cow’s milk, with two unique flavours from the Middle East – one with Za’atar and another with Nabulsi, or onion seeds. They also now produce Squeaky Cheese from 100% goat milk, and 100% sheep’s milk for those who are lactose intolerant. Genuis!
We wanted to find out about Razan’s signature dishes – would they reflect her origins, or where she now calls home? And we weren’t disappointed! She loves cooking a Sunday Roast with Yorkshire Puddings and always proudly offers it up to her guests from overseas! She also loves couscous tabbouleh and ‘Foul Medames’, which is a hearty Syrian breakfast made from fava beans that she enjoyed each weekend when in Syria.
As part of our Yorkshire Stories we recognise our local food and drink heroes, and are never surprised by those who are nominated by our storytellers, but we were extremely touched by Razan’s response. Razan named Judy Bell, the founder of Shepherds Purse Cheeses, as her food hero. Judy listened to Razan’s story and was hugely encouraging of her becoming a fellow cheesemaker, and was a great support as a trailblazer herself. Razan saw Judy as a great angel, proud of Razan and her achievements, despite only knowing her for a short time. Touched by Judy’s smile and energy, there was a great connection between them, and Razan learnt a lot by observing her and her connection with others. A humble person and a great example of how leaders and successful business owners should hold themselves. Despite Judy passing away in 2022, Razan will hold her memory dearly, as we do too.
A fitting end to this Yorkshire Story - one filled with resilience, bravery, creativity, and women being in charge of their journey (and a little bit of science too!).
SMOKED CHILLI SQUEAKY CHEESE FLATBREADS
As part of our Yorkshire Stories series, we've created three brand new recipes, the first being these Smoked Chilli Squeaky Cheese Flatbreads! Made with Yorkshire Dama Original Squeaky Cheese and our own Smoked Chilli Dressing! Find this tasty recipe here.