When it’s combined with on-trend flavours, cream cheese is great for way more than dips. Here are three inspired ways to eat it for breakfast, lunch and as a braai side.

Soufflé omelette with smoked salmon, dill and lemon cream cheese

The omelette of your dreams. Photo by Jan Ras and Andrea van der Spuy.

Separate 6 free-range eggs. Beat the whites until stiff peaks form, and the yolks until combined, then fold the fluffy egg whites into the yolks and season to taste. Melt 1 T butter and 1 T olive oil in a cast-iron pan over a low heat. Add the egg mixture and cook for 3 minutes, or until the edges are golden. Put the pan under a preheated grill for a couple of minutes until the omelette is puffed up and golden. Serve with blanched asparagus, snipped chives and a dollop of smoked salmon, dill and lemon cream cheese.

Tuna and cream cheese baked peppers

Serve these as a party snack, or with a fresh salad for a light supper. Photo by Jan Ras and Andrea van der Spuy.

Cut the tops off small red peppers, then remove their seeds and ribs using a small knife. Mix 1 tub chermoula, red pepper chutney and almonds cream cheese with 2–3 crushed garlic cloves and a pinch each chilli flakes, ground cumin and ground coriander and 1 can drained shredded tuna. Stuff the peppers with the mixture and roast until soft – about 30 minutes. Serve with a squeeze of lemon juice.

Cream cheese braai loaf

Trust us: it’s even better than garlic bread. Photo by Jan Ras and Andrea van der Spuy.

Make incisions into a baguette and generously spread with carrot, pineapple and cinnamon cream cheese. Halve a handful of spring onions lengthways and nestle into the incisions. Top the loaf with 2 T grated Parmesan, wrap in foil and heat over medium coals – about 10 to 15 minutes – until crisp and golden.

For a full range of utterly delicious flavoured cream cheeses, visit Woolworths.