Ingredients

200g digestive biscuits
100g butter, preferably unsalted
100g white chocolate, roughly chopped
400g hulled strawberries, plus extra to decorate
300g full-fat cream cheese
1 tsp vanilla extract
The finely grated zest of half an unwaxed lemon
1 tbsp runny honey, maple syrup or agave nectar
200ml double cream

Method
1. Lightly grease and base-line a 20cm/8in tin (preferably springform).

2. Put the digestive biscuits into a sealable freezer bag or the bowl of a food processor and either crush with a rolling pin or process until you reach the texture of fine crumbs.

3. Melt the butter in a large saucepan and either add the biscuit crumbs to the pan or pour the butter into the crumbs in the food processor. Mix or process the butter and biscuit crumbs until thoroughly combined and press the mixture firmly across the base of the tin in an even layer before allowing to chill in the fridge for 30 minutes.

4. Meanwhile, slice approx. 150g of the hulled strawberries and neatly arrange the slices around the edge of the prepared tin. Chop the remaining strawberries into small pieces.

5. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl, either over a pan of simmering water (don't let the base of the bowl touch the water or the chocolate will turn claggy!) or in short bursts in a microwave, stirring frequently.

6. Beat or whisk the cream cheese with the vanilla extract, lemon zest and honey, maple syrup or agave nectar before adding the chopped strawberries and stirring well. In a separate bowl, whisk the double cream until it forms gentle peaks.

7. Fold the melted chocolate into the cream cheese mixture, followed by the double cream.

8. Spoon the mixture into the tin, gently pressing it against the sliced strawberries around the edge. Smooth the top with with the back of a spoon, cover with cling film and chill until firm (minimum 6 hours, although it will happily wait for up to 24 hours before serving).

9. When you're ready to serve, remove the cheesecake from the tin, transfer to a serving plate and scatter a handful of chopped strawberries across the top.

This wonderful little coffee shop comprising of two shops adjacent to each other is situated right on the World Heritage site that is Pulteney Bridge. There are incredible views (especially on sunny days) over Pulteney Weir and the cosy interiors complement the Georgian architecture. This family business offers a warm welcome with eat-in and takeaway menus which include very popular homemade cakes and bakery treats. There are options for breakfast, lunch and afternoon cream teas. The homemade scones, baked upstairs, with a pot of their loose leaf tea is a perfect interlude during a visit around the city. Open 8.30am–5.30pm Monday–Friday, 9–6pm Saturday and 9.30–5.30pm on Sundays.

15 – 17 Pulteney Bridge, Bath, BA2 4AY

Bar Breton is a small but perfectly formed French bar in the heart of Bath’s theatre district on Barton Street. Offering Breton-inspired drinks and small plates, the concept was inspired by trips to Brittany and France with family and friends. You’ll find delicious artisan ciders and beer from Northern France and the wine comes from all over the country (as it does in Brittany) and focuses on smaller family producers rather than big ‘names’ so you can enjoy tastier wines at much better value. The vol au vent is trending again here, as well as other French small plates to go with your drinks. There’s no need to make a reservation – just rock up and staff will try to seat you straightaway. Email any enquiries to bonjour@barbretonbath.co.uk.

28 Barton Street, Bath BA1 1HH
Tel: 01225 446903 Web: barbretonbath.co.uk

Looking for more delicious foodie inspo?

Click through to browse our full new look Delicious Guide below!

By Melissa Blease

The Walrus and the Carpenter

"The time has come", the Walrus said, "to talk of many things: of shoes, and ships, and sealing wax; of cabbages, and kings. And why the sea is boiling hot, and whether pigs have wings.”

If ever you were in the mood to talk of shoes, and cabbages, and pigs with wings, The Walrus and Carpenter – a cramped, ramshackle, totally eccentric little split-level bistro on Barton Street – was the kind of place that could easily encourage such philosophical debate to flow.

The walls were covered in layer upon layer of vintage musical hall, cabaret and show posters (which, I'm guessing, covered a multitude of vintage cracks); the unstable little tables were covered with jolly gingham cloths; the wine flowed from carafes that had long since lost their sheen; the cutlery was the kind that you discover at the back of the kitchen drawer... and if you dared to venture down the rickety staircase that led to the loos, you could easily find yourself taking a wrong turn and ending up in the tiny, scarily hot, chaotic basement kitchen, where a barrage of chefs with scarily hot faces would bark their instructions to yet another confused diner over the clatter of tongs smashing on the flaming grill: “turn around, go back along the corridor, take the second right!”

Established in 1974, Walrus and Carpenter menus bounced along to a distinctly era-specific vibe and never updated their style (nor the prices) all the way up to the restaurant's final service in 2011. On the multiple occasions I visited, I always felt more like Lewis Carrol's Alice in Wonderland than his wise old walrus, emerging from a tumble down the rabbit hole back to the days when pork chops with mash (or, in vegetarian households, chickpea casserole served with wholegrain rice) was a typical midweek supper and your parents used to quaff Le Piat D'Or on special occasions.

If you're of a similar vintage, you too would have felt a bit like you were sitting in Tom and Barbara Goode's kitchen in 1970s sitcom The Good Life, while all comers could easily be forgiven, on a particularly busy service, of being reminded of the funniest moments in Fawlty Towers. But overall, this much-loved Bath institution was a uniquely welcoming, utterly charming comfort zone: a home from home in which service glitches and a cheerful shunning of health and safety regulations were easily forgiven when your huge, homemade, freshly cooked beef burger, or tantalisingly flavoursome lamb tagine, or perfect omelette frites, or one of the many properly imaginative vegetarian options hit the table. Most of the dishes often appeared with a random side of hot, fresh pitta bread, even the side salads were massive... and the kitchen's divine St Emilion au Chocolat was beyond worthy of its reverential, iconic status.

The passing of the years, however, weren't kind to the dear old W&C. By the 1990s/early zeroes, original, authentic shabby chic became outmoded as a plethora of gleaming 'modern' bistros and brasseries started opening their doors across the city. Cost-cutting shortcuts such as replacing the sumptuous homemade veggie burgers with barely defrosted supermarket own brand versions or failing to mention that the kitchen was running out of boeuf bourguignon halfway through service and making the shortfall up with too much rice led to poor reviews and a very downturned word-of-mouth reputation for this former grand old dame of the Bath restaurant scene.

“I weep for it”, our memories say; “'I deeply sympathise.” And we pass 28 Barton Street* today, looking back with tears in our eyes.

Review by Saskia Hayward

Rotten Days of Late Summer by Ralf Webb

Rotten Days of Late Summer is the debut collection of poetry from Ralf Webb. It’s poetry full of desire, pathos, and texture, brimming with pithy observations on contemporary youth and class, set against the industrial landscapes of the South West.

Three longer sequences are broken up by individual poems: ‘Love Stories,’ which traces the course of relationships with a variety of lovers; ‘Diagnostics,’ the story of the death of the poet’s father; and ‘Treetops,’ an expansive and all encompassing poem on the details of life.

If one were to describe what Jhumpa Lahiri's new book, Whereabouts, is about, it would be difficult to do it justice. Originally written in Italian, the novel was translated into English by Lahiri herself. It follows an unnamed narrator in her daily life in an equally unnamed Italian town – even though you may recognise glimpses of a well-known Italian city in some passages.

Lahiri's prose is lucid and impactful, so observant that one feels completely absorbed by the mundane life of the protagonist and the people who gravitate around her. As the book comes to an end, the reader is left with a sense of bittersweet nostalgia, having by now become so intimate with the narrator and accustomed to her surroundings.

Penguin Books, £9.99

Review by Saskia Hayward

We Need to Talk About Money by Otegha Uwagba

A Long Way from Douala tells the story of Choupi and Simon on the trail of Choupi’s older brother Roger who, following the death of their father, has left Douala to try to illegally cross the border into Europe in the hope of finding football fame.

It’s written in vignette form, which allows for a brilliant patchwork of daily life in Cameroon to form in all its colour and texture. Topics like Boko Haram are addressed, but overall the tone remains light, joyful, and humorous – a coming of age road trip that traverses contemporary Cameroon.

4th Estate, £14.99

Topping & Co. Booksellers, 3 Bladud Buildings, The Paragon, Bath; toppingbooks.co.uk

Boogie n Bath: a different kind of dance school

Boogie n Bath is a dance school with a difference – it has three things at its core: fun, kindness and diversity. All children are welcome! The team know each child individually and love to see their confidence and abilities grow. Three fun-packed days at Boogie n Bath include:

• Warm up flexibility & strength.
• Core dance technique training.
• Dance routines taught to original choreography.
• Small group own choreography.

The school's summer workshops are running on 26, 27 & 28 July or 23, 24 and 25 August.

The workshops cost £85 for one or £150 for both and are run by Michelle Pentecost and Sharon Abrahams.

Get in touch by email: Sharonabrahams3@yahoo.co.uk or call 07710 440 071 for more details.

boogienbath.com

Schools’ clean air poster competition winner announced

A pupil from St Stephen’s School in Bath has won first prize in a school poster competition run by Bath & North East Somerset Council to help raise awareness of the dangers of air pollution and what we can all do to tackle the problem.

The colourful winning entry, designed by Lois, aged 8, urges people to ‘stop air pollution by walking or cycling through Bath’, a timely message for residents as the city faces up to the challenge of tackling harmful levels of air pollution in the city.

Children are still developing their organs and immune systems and their smaller bodies and airways make them especially vulnerable to dirty air. 

The council’s school poster competition included an informative school assembly pack developed by the Clean Air Day organisers, Global Action Plan (www.cleanairday.org.uk)

The first prize of £200 in book tokens was awarded to St Stephen’s School, Lansdown for Lois Rodgers’ entry urging people to ‘walk or cycle through Bath’. The second prize of £75 in tokens was awarded to Weston All Saints Primary, for 10-year-old Helena’s thought-provoking poster ‘Whatever you were thinking about, it can wait…’; and the third prize of £25 in tokens went to St Mary’s Primary School, Timsbury for Lily’s poster (year 4), which urges people ‘not to drive when they don’t need to’ and to consider indoor pollution, by ‘opening windows when cooking’ and avoiding the use of aerosols.

The competition was run in partnership with Families Acting on Climate Emergency (FACE) and the Schools Climate Network and was judged by their representatives.

Image: First place entry by Lois, St Stephen's School, Lansdown.

Thatchers Katy Cider scoops top award

Thatchers put their heart and soul into making the most delicious ciders, and this year, one of the Somerset cider maker's favourites, Katy, has scooped a string of top awards. This week it has been announced Thatchers Katy has been awarded the best-in-class trophy for new world style ciders at the 2021 International Cider Challenge, a competition judged by some of the country's most respected drinks experts. This follows hot on the heels of a gold medal from the Taste of the West awards.

Thatchers Katy Cider – made with the stunning rosy red apples that are always first to be harvested at Myrtle Farm – is a fine, fresh and fruity bottled cider that has been crafted by the fourth generation cider maker for over two decades. This 7.4% cider has a subtle sweetness, a refreshing sparkle and crisp, tangy finish.

Katy was not Thatchers only cider to be recognised in the competition. Two of its speciality Cider Barn ciders, Cox's and Grenadier, and its first alcohol free cider, Zero, were all awarded medals.

Award-winning Thatchers Katy, and the complete range of Thatchers ciders is available online from thatcherscider.co.uk