Ginger is without doubt one of my favourite ingredients, particularly during the winter months when the little extra buzz of fiery flavour is needed. I use it in a lot of my cooking and even stick it in my tea – I can’t get enough of the stuff!

The subtle warmth of ginger really wakes up a dish, but I’m especially partial to it in desserts and in the traditional gingerbread form.

And no visit to the Christmas markets would be complete without a few delicious German Lebkuchen cookies washed down with an obligatory gingerbread latte!

If you’re looking for a suitable festive dessert to serve this Christmas, then my gingerbread cheesecake is a real winner. It is incredibly easy to make as requires no baking or complicated preparation.

You can even make it a day or two beforehand so it’s ready to serve in an instant – and let’s face it, advance prep is the key to a stress-free Christmas!

Serve with a few berries and a dusting of icing sugar to create a really impressive-looking and tasty pudding.

Gingerbread Cheesecake

200g ginger biscuits

75g butter, melted

500g mascarpone cheese

300ml double cream

1 tsp ground ginger

200g golden syrup

100g crystallised ginger

Line an 8-inch spring form cake tin with baking parchment.

Put the biscuits into a food processor and pulse to a crumb consistency. Alternatively place them into a sturdy sandwich bag (or similar) and crush them using a rolling pin.

Pour into a bowl and add the melted butter, stirring everything together so the butter is well combined. Empty the mixture into the tin, pressing it down slightly to level it, and place in the fridge to chill.

In a bowl, whip up the cream until it forms stiff peaks. In a separate bowl mix half the golden syrup and half of the crystallised ginger with the ground ginger and mascarpone cheese.

Gently fold into the whipped cream and then transfer the mixture to the tin.

Mix the remaining golden syrup and crystallised ginger together and drizzle on top of the cheesecake. Return to the fridge and chill for at least two hours or until ready to serve.