Hasta Gurung in 'Crying over spilt milk' (#199) reports dairy farmers in Chitwan dumping 100,000 litres of milk because bandas prevented them from taking it to market. Ok, I'm French and partial to cheese, but I am appalled that all that milk was wasted and not turned into local cheese which I have been making in Chitwan. Just shows that the only sustainable revolution is through education. For cheese making, all you need is a canvas bag, an acquired taste for cheese and access to a market. This easy recipe will keep for over 10 days without a fridge or even a cool place. Here's how: Let your milk go sour, empty the whey (feed your pigs), mix the curd with lots of salt, cut garlic, add herbs to taste. Pour in clean canvas bag, hang out to drip in airy room. The cheese will be ready for consumption next morning. This is the recipe for the famous Boursin cheese, which comes in small round cardboard boxes, wrapped in foil, flavoured with garlic, pepper or herbs. It can be sold at attractive prices to trekkers and other tourists.

Alternatively you can let it dry, spread out in the sun under a net. This will keep even longer. You can also keep it in glass jars filled with brine (salted water) or veg oil with chillies for conservation, this will give you excellent feta to eat with your salads. Feta's sharp, salty flavor-often referred to as tangy-and crumbly texture make it a popular addition to mixed salads. It is often cut into cubes and served with bread and olives, and is featured prominently in Greek cooking. Cheese is a concentrated source of almost all the valuable nutrients found in milk, such as protein, vitamins and minerals, as well as the less desirable fat and cholesterol, substances that may lead to health problems when consumed in excess.

Berhard Lazareff, Chitwan