BRITS are facing a halloumi shortage as farmers in Cyprus struggle to meet the high demand.

The cheese must be made from at least 20 per cent sheep and goat's milk on the Mediterranean island, according to strict EU rules.

3 Britain is facing a halloumi shortage as Cypriot farmers struggle to keep up with demand Credit: E+ - Getty

But farmers are getting increasing demand from the UK - which is now the cheese's biggest market outside of Cyprus.

Famed for its salty taste and meaty texture, halloumi has a high melting point making it perfect for grills or barbecues.

But as Britain is on the cusp of the hottest week of the year, supermarkets are seemingly running out of stock.

Twitter user Lauren, said: "This is going to sound silly but... Is there a shortage of halloumi? Are people panic buying it?

3 Halloumi is a British barbecue favourite due to its high melting point - making it perfect for grills

"I've been trying to get hold of some for 2 weeks and none of the local shops have it in stock... All I want is a salty, cheesy fix!"

Sue asked her followers: "Is there a halloumi shortage? #asda #morrisons. Haven't been able to.get any for weeks".

Rosie tweeted: "Been to two different shops now and NEITHER had any halloumi is this a joke?? Is there a national shortage????"

Pittas, one the main halloumi producers, says its sending emergency supplies across Europe by road to stores that don't want to wait the usual four weeks it takes to arrive by sea.

3 Rosie was left fuming after her two local shops didn't have any halloumi in stock

Company director John Pittas told the Daily Mail: "It costs more money to send it that way but Brits love their halloumi."

Scientists from the university where Dolly the sheep was cloned have even waded into the apparent crisis to help farmed increase their milk production.

Ricardo Pong-Wong, from the Roslin Institute at Edinburgh University, told the newspaper: "The team in Cyprus are doing a fantastic job and they are already seeing benefits."

It follows the excitement of Aldi's halloumi fries - which flew off the shelves and left customers fuming.

Scores vented on Twitter as the frozen food keeps being displayed as ''sold out'' in a string of stores across the UK.

Is it possible to set up a #halloumifries ‘watch rota’ for @AldiUK at @StretfordMall lots of people getting angst. Can anyone seeing a #livehalloumifries sitch please tweet up? Thx bbz pic.twitter.com/SntIgkKz4G — StretfordM32 (@StretfordM32) June 2, 2018

Some customers have posted pictures of empty freezers, while others have been demanding answers from the supermarket.

One angry customer wrote: ''Sixth time the charm I thought.. Previously I'd been in the evening so understood them being sold out but how were they sold out at 10 in the morning?

"@Aldi you're going viral with a product then at least make sure you're stocking it.''

Luckily, you can make basic halloumi fries at home - and all you need is halloumi cheese, flour and oil.

Nando's have announced new Halloumi Sticks and Dip... and the internet is going wild!

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