Expert taste test: Cheesecake

The winner
***** The English Cheesecake Company Charlie’s Original New York New York Cheesecake, £16 plus p&p (020 8964 9556; cheesecake.co.uk)
Rustic in appearance, this treat of a pudding will easily feed 12. The creamy fi lling with a hint of lemon and vanilla has just the right amount of sweetness and balances well with the crumbly base.

The runners-up
**** Forman and Field Mrs Forman’s Cheesecake, £16.95 plus p&p (020 8221 3939;
formanandfi eld.com)
The golden colour makes this cheesecake look home-made. Moist and smooth but not too soft, the delicate lemon topping contrasts well with the crunchy base. It serves around 8.

****Marks & Spencer Zesty Lemon Cheesecake, £11.99
Our testers weren’t keen on the appearance of this cheesecake, but most liked the subtle lemon fl avour. Although the base looks pale, it has a nice crunch to it. Serves 14

*** Morrisons The Best Vanilla Cheesecake, £3.49
Quite a thick base, which makes it too heavy for the light, creamy topping. A good fl avour, but nothing extraordinary.

** Asda Extra Special New York Style Baked Cheesecake (frozen), £3.00 for 560g
The crunchy base is buttery but is let down by the topping, which is bland and has an artifi cial, moussey texture.

** Waitrose New York Cheesecake, £3.99 for 620g
The topping on this nutty biscuit base is too creamy, with no cheese tang to cut through the richness.