Feta filo pies with honey

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Feta filo pies with honey by Scrummy Lane

How do you feel about appetizers? Errrm … not sure? Well, maybe I can help you answer the question.

Let’s say you go to a restaurant that has one of those ‘two courses for however many dollars or pounds or whatever’ deals on. Do you choose an appetizer and a main, or a main and a dessert? Or maybe you have all three, you sneaky one there, you.

I’m firmly in the ‘main and dessert’ camp, with the chocolaty-est dessert on the menu. I’ll share some tasty morsels like some nachos or some kind of stuffed little crispy things dipped in a nice bowl of sauce, but other than that, yup, I can definitely live without restaurant appetizers.

feta filo pies with honey

Fortunately, while living in Greece for so many years, this ‘appetizer or dessert’ thing was never really an issue because as you may know the style of eating there is a little different. Nine times out of ten, at a restaurant you’ll order lots of little plates of salads and dips and stews and potatoes and veggies (called ‘mezze’) and share them with the rest of your table. It’s wonderful because you never get that awful panicky feeling that you might have ordered the wrong thing or become a big green-eyed monster when your dining partner’s meal arrives and it looks more delicious than your own. Although (little tip coming up here), you can always say ‘oh, shall we share half and half?’ next time that happens. Works every time.

Aaaanyway, back to Greece where not only do they have this great sharing system that gives you the chance to have a little taste of everything (and sneak more of the dishes you really like), but it’s also perfectly acceptable to sit down at a little taverna or ‘ouzeria’ at 3 o’clock in the afternoon (or 3 o’clock in the morning if you like) and choose a little plate of whatever you like to nibble on with a glass of whatever you like to drink. It is also quite alright, if not encouraged, to stay there for three or four hours chatting the afternoon away while soaking up the afternoon sun and watching the antics of the neighbourhood ‘wildlife’ aka Athens’ thousands of canny neighbourhood cats.

Neighbourhood 'wildlife' in Athens, Greece
Can a cat have ‘doggy eyes’? This one waited patiently by our table for a little taste of our beautiful Greek snack.

Meals and drinks are definitely not to be ‘done’ in a hurry in this sunny little corner of south-east Europe … which reminds me of a friend who had an acquaintance say to him when he first moved to Greece: ‘Terry, why you drink your frappe (iced coffee) so queeekly?’ But that of course is another story …

The reason I’m telling you all this is that these feta filo pies with honey are one appetizer that I wholeheartedly recommend that you try making, even if you aren’t an appetizer kind of guy or gal. In this post, I already told you what this humble but delicious little appetizer led to for me, so you never know what may come your way when you give this little snack a try along with an obligatory glass of ouzo or red wine and a warm lazy summer late afternoon. 😉

Feta filo pies with honey by Scrummy Lane

Best of all, this is probably one of the easiest little snacks you’ll ever make. I know, I know, I say something similar in every post, but I always mean it. Literally, all it involves is mashing up some feta cheese (good quality from a deli or similar if you can find it) with a little honey and dried oregano, spooning it onto two half sheets of filo pastry layered one on top of the other and wrapping it all up in a simple parcel. Bake or fry, then serve with more honey drizzled over the top and a few toasted sesame seeds. I brushed mine with a little olive oil and baked it but to be perfectly honest I think next time I’m going to try frying the parcels instead for a little bit more of an authentic ‘flavour’.

Feta cheese mashed with honey

Making feta and honey filo pies
1 Brush a sheet of filo pastry with olive oil and lay a second sheet over the top. Cut the sheets in half across the width. 2 Spoon a quarter of the cheese, honey & oregano mixture into the centre of each half-sheet. 3 Wrap the cheese up like a parcel!

Feta and honey filo pies by Scrummy Lane

Just remember that the ouzo with this crispy feta snack isn’t optional. Oh, OK then, it is, but at least pour yourself a little glass of red wine to go with this very Mediterranean of appetizers. Wine and cheese = long-time match made in heaven, after all!

Feta filo pies with honey by Scrummy Lane

Feta and honey filo pies by Scrummy Lane

Oh, and one more little ‘thing’ (two, actually). If you like the idea of this feta in filo, you’ll love this baked feta recipe, too. I’m not sure which one is more delicious, so you’ll just have to try both to decide for yourself!

‘Thing’ number two is that I adapted this recipe very slightly from the great Jamie Oliver’s recipe from his latest book, Save With Jamie (wonderful as always). Thanks, Jamie!

2 feta filo pies with honey on white square plates taken from above

Feta and honey filo pies by Scrummy Lane

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feta filo pies with honey by Scrummy Lane
4.25 from 12 votes

Feta filo pies with honey

Make your own version of this classic Greek appetizer of feta cheese and honey wrapped in crispy filo pastry. Serve with a glass of ouzo or red wine. Who needs to go to the Mediterranean when the Mediterranean can come to you?
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total: 20 minutes
Servings: 4 as an appetizer or little snack

Ingredients 
 

  • 5 ounces feta cheese, as good quality as you can find
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil plus extra for brushing
  • 2 teaspoons honey plus a couple of tablespoons extra to serve
  • 1 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 4 sheets filo pastry
  • 1 tablespoon sesame seeds
  • fresh crusty bread and a cold glass of ouzo to serve, optional

Instructions 

  • Pre-heat the oven to 390F/200C if baking.
  • Mash the feta with the 1 tablespoon of olive oil, the honey & the oregano.
  • Lay one sheet of filo pastry onto your work surface and brush it lightly with olive oil. Lay another sheet on top. Cut the sheets in half across the width. Repeat this with the remaining two sheets of filo so that you have 4 rectangles of pastry.
  • Spoon one quarter of the feta mixture into the centre of each piece of pastry. Fold one of the long edges into the centre, then repeat with the other edge. Fold the short edges into the centre, too, so that the cheese is wrapped up like a parcel.
  • Brush the parcels lightly all over with olive oil, then either bake them on a baking sheet until light brown and crispy (for about 10 minutes) or, if you prefer, pan-fry them for a couple of minutes on each side.
  • Meanwhile, toast the sesame seeds in a dry skillet/frying pan until they are a light golden brown.
  • Serve immediately with a big drizzle of honey and some toasted sesame seeds over each parcel - with a little crusty bread if you like.

Notes

This recipe was slightly adapted from Jamie Oliver's recipe in his latest book, Save With Jamie.
You can bake or fry these little feta filo parcels. They are lovely baked, but I suspect even nicer fried (don't worry, you can use healthy olive oil!)

Nutrition

Calories: 994kcal, Carbohydrates: 154g, Protein: 25g, Fat: 29g, Saturated Fat: 10g, Cholesterol: 31mg, Sodium: 1762mg, Potassium: 240mg, Fiber: 5g, Sugar: 4g, Vitamin A: 150IU, Calcium: 233mg, Iron: 9.8mg
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About Helen Schofield

Don't expect to find anything fussy or complicated here. Just QUICK, EASY & (mostly!) HEALTHY recipes from the Mediterranean and beyond. ENJOY!

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70 Comments

  1. These look so tasty and fresh! I love the combination of cheese and honey 🙂

  2. I’m definitely an appetizer kind of gal. I think I like them so much because you can have a little of this and little of that. I’m also pretty obsessed with nachos and those always seem to be on the appetizer part of the menu. I also really love filo! I don’t like cooking with it as much as I love eating it though, haha! I always get scared that it is going to dry out before I get to it, but it is so crispy and yummy that it is worth the stress, and stuffing it with feta makes it that much better! Also, as you probably could have guessed, I love the cat photo! He really does have doggy eyes!

    1. Actually, Isadora, after saying I’m NOT an appetizer kind of girl, I could definitely eat one right about now – especially a big plate of nachos! I used to be a bit scared of filo, too, for the reasons you describe, but since I’ve used it a few times lately and it’s gone well I’m totally relaxed around it now … haha!Thanks for the lovely comment! 🙂

  3. Your filo pies look fantastic! I could nibble on these and certainly eat a whole meal’s worth! I love the small plates idea….tasting bits of lots of dishes is my idea of heaven!

    1. Thanks, Liz! I’ll definitely be making these again. And yes, whoever first though of that little plates idea is a bit of a genius, I reckon. 🙂