Roquefort and honey cheesecake with walnut and pear

Because it’s so gorgeously rich, a little of this goes a long way, which makes it perfect to feed a crowd – salty sweet, with a crunchy oatcake base, it’s best served still quivery and warm (emphatically not hot), preferably accompanied by a sharply dressed green salad. And don’t worry that the ratio of base to topping seems unusually high – it works, I promise.

To make the base, whizz the oatcakes and 50g of the walnuts in a food processor until finely chopped, then drizzle in the melted butter and the honey and whizz to combine.

Grease a 23cm springform tin with butter, making sure the bottom half of the sides is particularly generously greased. Press the mixture down firmly into the base of the tin. Whizz the remaining walnuts until finely chopped, then add to the tin and rotate it on its side so it is coated with walnut crumbs to about halfway up. Chill for at least an hour.

Heat the oven to 130°C/fan 110°C/gas a half. Beat together the cheeses until well combined, then beat in the eggs, one at a time, followed by 1 tablespoon of the honey and some black pepper.

Pour into the tin and bake for 90 minutes, then remove from the oven and leave to cool in the tin while you finish the topping.

Turn the oven up to 200°C/fan 180°C/gas 6. Thinly slice the pear, removing the stalk, and put it on a greased baking tray. Brush with half the remaining honey and bake for 15 minutes.

Heat the grill, brush the pear slices with the rest of the honey and grill for about five minutes, until beginning to brown. Arrange on top of the cheesecake and serve warm, but not hot.