Fresh Halloumi And Bread At Sofia’s House: A Beautiful Home Cooked Lunch In Paphos

“Chicken and jacket potatoes!” Sofia announced as she walked through the entrance of her home restaurant with a giant pot of home cooked food.

With a big smile and booming voice, this was how most dishes were presented throughout this delicious lunch in the small village of Letymbou in Paphos.

We’d arrived at Sofia’s House one warm March afternoon, just as the traditional stone oven was being cleaned out for the next batch of fresh dough, ready to be baked. A batch that was one of many that day.

Sofia and Andreas shaping dough balls for bread.

Loaves of bread dough on a table in the sun

“I get up at 2am in the morning, finish at 5pm and we bake around 200 to 300 loaves of bread a day” Andreas, Sofia’s husband, mentioned as we marveled at the sheer hard work these two put in to baking bread for their village and running a business that welcomes visitors with open arms.

And welcoming people with open arms is just how their business got started, and is in essence what their business is. Around 15 years ago, two tourists were wandering through the sleepy village of Letymbou and noticed Sofia making food in her front yard. Being nosey they took an interest into what was being made, and Sofia being the wonderful hostess that she is, invited them in for a feast of fresh halloumi and bread. And the visitors haven’t stopped dropping by ever since.

Following in the footsteps of those first two tourists, Sofia and Andreas welcomed us into their yard for the start of a wonderful afternoon.

Stood under the dappled shade of a lemon tree we watched, and listened, as fresh dough balls were brought out from their kitchen ready to be shaped into loaves for the oven. As they were being baked, Sofia led us past her kitchen to the back yard where a pot of halloumi cheese was brewing in a metal vat.

Crowded round this metal vat, Sofia pulled out fresh balls of halloumi cheese. Now, this was no supermarket halloumi cheese that just gets thrown on the BBQ. This was soft, warm cheese finished off with a sprig of mint leaves wedged in the middle. Tapped with a loving pat back into thick burger patty shape, and I’m assuming to help the cheese get a big whiff of the mint leaves, Sofia sliced big wedges so we could all try out the fresh halloumi.

Sofia putting mint in the fresh halloumi.

Picking up a drooping slice, I took one bite and instantly found out why this lady is known to make some of the best halloumi in Cyprus. I had the first slice, went back for a second, and then a third…

It wasn’t just halloumi either that we got to try. I learnt that ricotta is a by-product of halloumi so we also got to eat delicious fresh ricotta too. Now both cheeses have been ruined for life for me and I’d happily get a flight back to Cyprus for these foods alone.

Alternating between eating the two, our appetite was whetted for the lunch ahead. After taking a peek into Sofia and Andrea’s family home (we didn’t gatecrash, their home is open for all visitors to see how family life is lived in this gorgeous village), we piled into their home restaurant for a real feast.

A table with wooden chairs at Sofia's restaurant.

The embroidered tablecloths reminded me of the tablecloths that covered my grandparents dining table as a kid. And the home cooked food reminded me of being at my grandparents too. Except that the warm yorkshire puddings they used to dish up were freshly baked loaves of bread, the roast potatoes were warm buttery boiled Cypriot potatoes alongside roast chicken, and the boiled vegetables were big bowls of greek salad and feta cheese.

The meal was finished off with desert, wonderfully baked fingers of sweet dough coated in sugar. What a perfect way to top off our meal.

Sofia and Andreas's living room with brown sofa and wooden cabinet.

Every bit about the lunch was just a delight and it quickly became the most memorable part of our adventure in Cyprus. What a privilege to be welcomed into someone’s home, to enjoy the food they make with pride, and to experience something so special.

If there’s one way to experience authentic Cyprus, this is it.

You can easily experience this through a guided tour – which may also include wine tasting! – or book yourself in and drive to Letymbou. It’s worth it for just one taste of Sofia’s halloumi, and you’ll no doubt be welcomed with open arms, like you’re a long lost member of the family returning for family lunch.