For a holiday rental, choose the size of your Greek yoghurt according to the number of people, the length of your stay and whether you can keep it chilled. Individual pots mean you only need to open the portions you’ll use; a 1 kg pot works well for shared meals if you can follow its storage instructions once opened. A UHT drink that can be stored outside the fridge before opening is a different kind of product: it won’t replace Greek yoghurt in recipes.
If your accommodation doesn’t have a fridge, or it can’t maintain the temperature stated on the packaging, fresh yoghurt can’t be kept at room temperature as a reserve. The use-by date also assumes that the product has been stored as instructed, as Service-Public points out.
Pack sizes of 4 × 125 g or 4 × 150 g mean you only need to open the portions planned for your meals. Consider how many pots you’ll use before you leave, rather than choosing a larger size out of habit.
A 1 kg pot can provide enough for several meals or recipes such as a sauce or tzatziki. This option assumes you can keep it refrigerated and follow the instructions for that particular pot once opened.
When shopping for a holiday rental, first check whether you can keep the yoghurt chilled during the journey and at your accommodation. Then choose a quantity that suits the meals you have planned.
Choose these: for a short stay or when only a few people will be eating yoghurt.
Bear in mind: you only open the pots you need, but all of them must be kept at the temperature stated on the packaging.
Choose this: if several people will be eating it or you’re planning to use it in recipes.
Bear in mind: once opened, the pot must be kept chilled and used within the time stated for that product.
Consider this: if what you mainly need is a drink that can be stored outside the fridge before opening. Danone says this is possible for its HiPRO UHT drinks.
Remember: a UHT drink isn’t Greek yoghurt and won’t serve the same purpose in a recipe.
| Factor | What to check | Who is it for? |
|---|---|---|
| Keeping it chilled | Temperature stated on the pot, the accommodation’s fridge and how you’ll transport chilled products. According to Service-Public, the use-by date assumes that storage instructions are followed. | If the journey is long or you’re not sure about the fridge, I need to know whether the yoghurt will stay at the right temperature. Around 46% of consumers would make this their top priority. |
| Pack size and length of stay | Number of portions, meals planned and instructions for storage after opening. Auchan says its 1 kg plain Greek yoghurt should be used within four days of opening. | If we’re a small group and leaving soon, I’d rather only open what we’ll eat. This would be the top priority for around 36% of consumers. |
| Recipe and intended use | Product description, ingredients, allergens and nutritional information per 100 g, particularly protein and fat. | If I also plan to cook with the yoghurt, I want to choose a product that suits my recipes rather than rely on the word ‘Greek’. Around 18% of consumers would make this their top priority. |
These terms don’t, by themselves, tell you the same things about a product’s recipe or storage. The Greek and ‘Greek-style’ yoghurts mentioned here are chilled products. Danone says its HiPRO UHT drinks can be stored outside the fridge before opening, but they’re a different kind of product.
Check the product description and storage temperature before choosing a product for recipes.
Auchan says its 1 kg plain Greek yoghurt should be used within four days of opening. Don’t automatically apply this instruction to other pots.
Work out how many portions you’ll need before you leave, and check the storage instructions for the product you choose once opened.
An opened large pot could leave you with leftovers if your stay ends before you’ve finished it.
The use-by date doesn’t mean you can leave fresh yoghurt outside the recommended storage conditions. The Ministry of Agriculture stresses the importance of maintaining the cold chain right through to the consumer.
Pick up chilled products at the end of your shopping trip and put them in a suitable fridge as soon as possible, following the temperature stated on the packaging.
A creamy texture or the word ‘Greek’ isn’t enough to tell you how much protein and fat a particular product contains.
Compare the ingredients and nutritional information per 100 g on the pots you’re considering.
Carrefour offers ‘Greek-style’ yoghurt in individual portions and 1 kg pots.
Auchan offers a 1 kg pot of plain Greek yoghurt, as well as ‘Greek-style’ yoghurt in individual portions.
Delisse, sold by E.Leclerc, offers plain ‘Greek-style’ yoghurt in individual portions and a 1 kg pot of plain Greek yoghurt.
Eridanous offers a ‘Greek-style’ yoghurt that Lidl suggests using to make tzatziki, among other things.
Danone’s HiPRO range includes UHT drinks, which are different from chilled Greek yoghurt.
No. Chilled Greek yoghurt isn’t suitable for storage at room temperature. Keep it at the temperature stated on the packaging during your journey and stay. As Service-Public explains, the use-by date is only valid if storage instructions have been followed.
The word ‘strained’ doesn’t mean that Greek yoghurt can be kept outside the fridge. Check the instructions for the exact product. Danone’s guidance that its HiPRO UHT drinks can be stored outside the fridge before opening doesn’t apply to chilled Greek yoghurt.
Follow the storage instructions on the pot you buy. For its 1 kg pot of plain Greek yoghurt, Auchan says to use it within four days of opening and keep it between +2 and +6 °C. This timeframe doesn’t apply to all yoghurts.
Don’t eat fresh yoghurt after its use-by date. Service-Public also points out that the date assumes the product has been stored correctly; a break in the cold chain could cause problems even before the date has passed.
Read the ingredients list and allergen information on the product you buy. The Greek and ‘Greek-style’ yoghurts described here contain milk or cream, but the exact recipe depends on the product.