Golden Acre Foods will launch Dairy Valley Paneer in Sainsbury’s and Tesco

Golden Acre Foods is expanding the retail distribution of Dairy Valley Paneer after the product received Gold at the International Cheese & Dairy Awards. The award makes it the first paneer to receive the top medal at the event.

Dairy Valley Paneer was made by Indian chef Bipen Sharma using traditional techniques. Golden Acre Foods says the product has the soft texture and clean taste associated with South Asian paneer, and can be spread or crumbled into dishes.

The product will be sold in Sainsbury’s stores across the country from next week at £3.50 for a 200g pack. It will then be introduced in Tesco stores in November.

Paneer has traditionally been a staple of Indian vegetarian cooking and has been sold in Britain through South Asian independent supermarkets. It is now more widely available in the UK and is sometimes described as “the new halloumi”.

Bipen Sharma founded Dairy Valley and said the company had sought to reproduce the product’s taste, appearance and texture outside India. The company based its European factory in Bulgaria, where Sharma said milk from local cows closely matches the milk of Indian cows.

Rebecca Cutter, Golden Acre Foods’ marketing director, said the award recognised the product’s quality and authenticity. She added that the Sainsbury’s and Tesco listings were part of the company’s broader strategy to expand authentic world-food products through major UK retailers and respond to demand for Indian ingredients.