Britain has gone crazy for cottage cheese, new figures have revealed.
At Tesco, demand has rocketed by 200 per cent over the last two years, amid a resurgence for the high–protein snack on TikTok.
‘TikTok food trends often result in sudden sales spikes and we saw that happen last year with Italian bread and cheese,’ explained Elizabeth Tomkins, Tesco cottage cheese buyer.
‘But this is a fully fledged culinary phenomenon that has brought a lot of extra business to the UK dairy industry.’
The news will come as no surprise to fans of cottage cheese, who regularly post their favourite recipes to TikTok.
Molly Mae Hague’s sister, Zoe Rae, recently admitted in a video that she is ‘cottage cheese obsessed’, explaining: ‘I’m going through a tub of cottage cheese like it’s going out of fashion.’
@cookingwithnoa tried hot honey cottage cheese and went so far as to declare it the ‘new avocado’.
And Olivia Jarvis (@oliviajarviss) even used cottage cheese to make the base of a pizza, saying it added protein to one of her favourite treats.
The news will come as no surprise to fans of cottage cheese, who regularly post their favourite recipes to TikTok
‘The demand has simply been staggering and our cottage cheese business is now bigger than our milk business – which is what our dairy farm was originally built around,’ said Robert Graham, of Grahams The Family Dairy
Cottage cheese was first created back in 1831, and became a favourite among slimmers in the 1970s.
Now, just two months into the year, it looks like it’s set to become one of the biggest food trends of 2026.
‘Cottage cheese became massively popular in the 70s and 80s as a tasty but low–fat filling for baked potatoes or avocados,’ Ms Tomkins explained.
‘Demand has been steady since then with sales traditionally rising in the summer months and in January because of the popularity of post–Christmas diets.
‘But now, because it’s become so popular with a younger audience, we are ordering in as much as we can because we’re seeing all–time record demand.’
While shoppers once only had one or two brands to choose from, there are now dozens of options to choose from, including Arla, Longley Farm, and Graham’s The Family Dairy.
‘The demand has simply been staggering and our cottage cheese business is now bigger than our milk business – which is what our dairy farm was originally built around,’ said Robert Graham, of Grahams The Family Dairy.
‘We first noticed the trend around May 2023 but it has rocketed since then and we have literally gone into overdrive to keep up with the demand.
‘The trend has caught on around the world and as a result we’re now exporting to places as far away as the Gulf States and Hong Kong.’
The trend has largely been driven by health–conscious influencers, who have pushed the limits to what cottage cheese can be used for – from making classic meals a bit healthier, to even being used in desserts.
Some have used it as an ingredient in cookie dough, as seen in a recipe shared by Jake Cohen, a chef and New York Times bestselling author, in May.
Others have used it to make delicious snacks by baking it in the oven and added seasoning to make crisps.
TikToker @_cookwithmi, who lives in London, even made lasagne with cottage cheese, saying she was ‘hopping on the cottage cheese bandwagon and this did NOT disappoint’.
As she sliced up her delicious dinner, she added: ‘I do love a cheese sauce but this is slightly healthier.’
Nutritionists have also hailed cottage cheese as a ‘superfood’, citing various qualities.
‘Cottage cheese is a nutrient–dense food that provides high–quality protein, calcium for bone health, iodine for thyroid function, and B vitamins for energy,’ Nichola Ludlam–Raine, a Registered Dietitian and author of How Not To Eat Over Processed, told the Daily Mail.
Nutritionists have hailed cottage cheese as a ‘superfood’, citing various qualities
‘It’s relatively low in calories for the amount of protein it provides.
‘Cottage cheese varies slightly by brand, but on average you’ll get around 11–13g of protein per 100g.
‘So a typical 200g serving provides roughly 22–26g of protein, making it comparable to many protein yoghurts.’
Rob Hobson, nutritionist and author of Unprocess Your Life, added: ‘The type of protein in cottage cheese, casein, digests slowly, meaning it keeps you feeling full for longer.
‘It makes a good snack, with a bit of fruit or a few wholemeal crackers, if you’re peckish later in the evening.’
