any leftover poached rhubarb is delicious served on top of natural yoghurt and granola – a satisfying and seasonal spring breakfast
STORIES · 07.05.25
Food | Recipes | Well-Being
Rhubarb will always be an incredibly nostalgic flavour for me. There’s something very English about it. As a child, I remember my neighbour and I picking it from the bottom of her garden and plunging the raw stems straight into brown-paper bags full of sugar. Biting down on it was so wonderfully tart and sour – like nature’s answer to a sherbet dab.
We have an abundance of rhubarb growing in the vegetable garden at home and in the fields at Daylesford at the moment. This easy no-bake cheesecake makes a great accompaniment; creamy, sweet and with the gentle warmth of ground and stem ginger. Any leftover poached rhubarb is delicious served on top of natural yoghurt and granola as a satisfying and seasonal spring breakfast.
Serves 6
For the base
60g butter, melted
180g ginger snap biscuits
1 tsp mixed spice
1/2 tsp ground ginger
10g stem ginger, finely chopped
For the poached rhubarb
500g rhubarb, cut into 6cm lengths
3 oranges, zested and juiced
150g caster sugar
For the cheesecake filling
300g cream cheese
50g icing sugar
150ml double cream
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 tsp ground ginger
15g crystallised stem ginger
Mint leaves to decorate, optional
rhubarb will always be an incredibly nostalgic flavour for me. There’s something very English about it
Line a 20cm springform cake tin with greaseproof paper. Preheat the oven to 190C.
To make the base, melt the butter in a small saucepan. Crush the biscuits – either in a food processor or by bashing in a freezer bag using a rolling pin. Stir through the spices, stem ginger and melted butter.
Spoon the mixture into the base of the tin and press it down evenly using the back of a spoon. Put into the fridge to chill.
Place the rhubarb into a shallow baking tray. Mix the orange zest, juice and sugar together, then pour this liquid over the rhubarb. Bake in the oven for 30 minutes or until just tender. Leave to cool.
Strain the juice into a heavy-based pan. Heat over a medium-high heat and bubble to reduce until thick and syrupy. Leave to cool, then pour back over the rhubarb and chill in a bowl until needed.
Using a stand mixer or a bowl and whisk, beat the cream cheese to soften it. Add the icing sugar and beat again until fully incorporated. Add the cream, vanilla, both types of ginger and whisk until firm.
Gently spread the mixture over the chilled biscuit base and level it using the back of a spoon. Set in the fridge overnight.
To serve, use a warm clean knife to cut neat slices of the cheesecake. Arrange the poached rhubarb alongside it and spoon over a little of the juices. Decorate with mint leaves, if you like.
You can find more seasonal recipes on my Instagram and in my newest book, Daylesford Living: Inspired by Nature.
