WHETHER you are hosting a sophisticated dinner party or looking for something sweet after all that barbecued meat, this recipe is a great finisher for any meal and goes well with a nice glass of fruity red wine, as the sun goes down in the evening.

Ingredients:

200g plain chocolate biscuits

100g butter

Melted 200g milk or dark chocolate, roughly chopped

150ml cream, at room temperature

300g cream cheese, at room temperature

150g caster sugar

45g cocoa powder

Line a 20cm spring-form cake tin with baking paper.

Method:

Put biscuits into a food processor and process until fine crumbs form. Put crumbs in a medium bowl with butter and stir to combine. Press crumb mixture firmly into bottom of the tin and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

Place the chocolate in a medium heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water (make sure the bowl doesn’t touch the water). Stir occasionally with a metal spoon until the chocolate is melted. Remove chocolate from heat and set aside to cool (roughly 15 minutes).

Whip cream until soft peaks form. Set aside.

Put cream cheese and caster sugar into a food processor. Process until just combined. Add the cooled, melted chocolate and the cocoa and process further until mixture is well combined and smooth.

It is important that both the cream and cream cheese are at room temperature when you start or your cheesecake mixture could turn lumpy (as chilled cream will set the melted chocolate).

Fold the chocolate mixture into the whipped cream and stir until well combine and smooth.

Pour mixture on to biscuit base in tin and smooth the top. Chill for four hours or until firm to touch.

Serve with fresh fruit and vanilla ice cream or a really nice refreshing sorbet personally I always have both because I’m just that greedy!

Tip: If you choose the sorbet route I find raspberry or orange works best with this recipe

Head chef Russell Hunt

The King's Head Hotel,

24 Market Place, Cirencester GL7 2NR

01285 700900