A creamy, floral celebration of wild summer ingredients — no oven required.
This cheesecake is bursting with Bilberries and delicately scented with Meadowsweet, a hedgerow flower known for its sweet, almond-vanilla aroma. It’s perfect for a summer gathering, whether you’re indoors or eating with muddy boots on a tree stump.
Vegan-friendly options included below.
Ingredients:
Base:
- 200g oat or digestive biscuits
- 80g unsalted butter, melted
- Pinch of salt
Vegan option: Use vegan biscuits (e.g. Hobnobs) and plant-based butter
Filling:
- 300ml double cream
- 3–4 Meadowsweet flower heads (or 1 tsp dried)
- 300g full-fat cream cheese
- 100g icing sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- Zest of 1 lemon
Vegan option: Use a plant-based whipping cream (like Elmlea Plant or Oatly Whippable) and vegan cream cheese (such as Violife or Nush)
Topping:
- 200g fresh Bilberries (or frozen)
- 2 tbsp caster sugar
- Juice of ½ lemon
- 1 tsp cornflour mixed with 1 tbsp water (optional, for thickening)
Click here for our Bilberry foraging guide
Click here for our Meadowsweet foraging guide
Method:
- Heat the cream gently in a pan until just steaming — do not boil. Add the Meadowsweet flowers, stir, cover, and steep for 30 minutes. Strain and chill until completely cold
- Crush the biscuits into crumbs, mix with melted butter and a pinch of salt. Press into the base of a lined 20cm tin and chill for 20–30 minutes
- Beat the cream cheese, icing sugar, vanilla, and lemon zest until smooth. Whip the chilled infused cream to soft peaks, then fold gently into the cream cheese mixture. Spoon onto the chilled base and smooth the top. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours (or overnight) until set.
- Place bilberries, sugar, and lemon juice in a small pan and cook gently until the berries release their juices. Simmer for 5–8 minutes. Add cornflour mixture if you’d like it thicker. Let it cool completely before spooning over the set cheesecake.
To Serve
Garnish with extra fresh Bilberries or dried Meadowsweet petals if you have them. Serve cold — ideally outdoors!
For more amazing Bilberry recipes click here.
