80s fridge staple proves to still be popular choice among British shoppers

Graham’s Family Dairy has reported that sales of cottage cheese are surging across the country, with sales of the 80s fridge staple increasing by 40% over the last 12 months.

Grahams and supermarket chain Marks & Spencer said that the ‘retro revival’ is in full swing, partly thanks to the global demand for high-protein and low-fat dairy products.

The trend has been fuelled by recipes that have gone viral on social media. In early 2024 views of the hashtag #cottagecheese were set to hit a billion on TikTok alone.

Family favourite

Graham’s Family Dairy is at production capacity for the high-protein cheese product, with early-stage growth plans including a £5 million investment to bolster its cottage cheese production facilities to meet consumer demand.

Managing director of Graham’s Family Dairy, Robert Graham, said: “Cottage cheese has been a family favourite for many years.

“It’s light, extremely versatile, and a much healthier choice due to its high protein and nutrient content.

“As a third-generation family dairy, doing things in a traditional way is important to us, and we believe that’s why products like our cottage cheese have been so well received and continue to grow in popularity.

“It’s not just close to home either, exports to Ireland and Dubai are mirroring the UK trend. Volume is up and showing no signs of slowing down, showing that cottage cheese isn’t retro anymore, it’s back and if our sales figures are anything to go by, here to stay.”

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Retro trends taking over UK food landscape 

The family-run business produces its cottage cheese following a traditional method, using an open cheese vat that creates a firmer curd, giving it extra structure, bite and versatility, allowing it to be easily used in many different recipes.

The growth is also mirroring other retro trends taking over the UK food landscape. Waitrose revealed that a third of people had switched from a lower-fat product to a full-fat dairy product in 2023, while M&S Cafes defaulted to full-fat milk for coffee orders.

Chris Dawson, senior buyer dairy foods at Marks & Spencer Foods, said: “In the 20 years I have been buying cheese I have never seen such amazing growth on cottage cheese, as I have over the past year with strong volume sales.

“If anything, cottage cheese as a cheese category had been on a continuous downward spiral over many years until 2023. This unlikely ‘protein hero’ packed ingredient has caught us all by surprise.

“Retro, great value and hugely versatile, influencers discovered the wallflower of the dairy cabinet can be transformed into all manner of dishes, sweet and savoury – cottage cheese pancakes, bread, cookies, ice cream and even whipped cottage cheese – a new take on last year’s whipped feta craze.

“The buzz caught on with sales of cottage cheese at Marks & Spencer up in high double digit growth year on year.”

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