Monkey Shoulder whisky cheesecake

MONKEY SHOULDER is a blended malt whisky that is smooth, sweet and very easy to drink . . . or to put into cheesecake! It tastes very mild when combined with the cream cheese filling and it goes brilliantly with the ginger biscuit base. Monkey Shoulder is widely available, but you can easily replace it with a whisky of your choice. If you are planning to share this with children, leave the whisky out — it will still be delicious. SERVES 8-10 FOR THE BISCUIT BASE

75g butter, plus extra for greasing

200g ginger nut biscuits, smashed to fine crumbs

25g caster sugar

FOR THE CHEESECAKE TOPPING

300g cream cheese or full-fat soft cheese, softened for an hour out of the fridge 130g caster sugar Seeds from 2 vanilla pods 250ml double cream 150g creme fraiche 2 tbsp Monkey Shoulder whisky or other whisky of your choice

TO SERVE

300g cherries, halved and stoned, or seasonal berries

2 tbsp caster sugar GreaSe the base of a 23cm spring-form tin or deep loose-based round tin and set aside. For the biscuit base, melt the butter in a pan over a low heat. remove from the heat, stir in the crushed biscuits and sugar until combined, then press the mixture evenly over the bottom of the prepared tin. Chill in the fridge for at least 30 minutes.

Put all the ingredients for the cheesecake topping, except the whisky, in a mixing bowl and whisk together using an electric mixer until smooth and quite thick.

Pour in the whisky and whisk again until the mixture is the consistency of thickly whipped cream. Pour the topping over the biscuit base and smooth the top, then transfer to the fridge and leave to set for a minimum of three hours or overnight.

Warm the cherries or berries and sugar in a saucepan with 1 tablespoon of water until they begin to soften. Cool.

Once set, carefully remove the cheesecake from the tin and transfer to a serving plate, drizzle over the fruit and syrup, then slice to serve.