I made this pie as a break from the oven, as the temperatures in the UK had been soaring. Funnily enough, on the day I made it, there were torrential down pours, and so it wasn’t quite the hot summer’s day I’d planned for.

Luckily, it still tasted delicious and was a refreshing dessert regardless of the rain. As with most things, you can choose your own choice of berries for this, and could even use a flavoured yoghurt if you so wish.

As we move into autumn, and cooler weather (in the Northern hemisphere), there are still plenty of us that are experiencing summer weather, so this is still a great dessert to make – and it doesn’t require an oven which makes it ideal for those of you in Hong Kong who are oven-less.

The raspberries and blueberries provide a great tang for this dessert, so while it is still sweet, it’s not as sweet as some other desserts have been. It’s refreshing and fruity.

Now as I write this, there are major demonstrations going on in my home town. I’m not there at the moment, as I’m still on holiday, but Hong Kong is experiencing it’s 10th week of protests. On Sunday 11th August, police used unprecedented tactics that caused injury to peaceful protesters, including potentially blinding a woman who was shot in the eye by a bean bag, fired tear gas into an enclosed space, attacked people on escalators, and dressed up illegally as protesters and started arresting people.

I don’t condone violence on either side, but I know for a fact that 99% of the protesters at the demonstrations in Hong Kong are peaceful and are just standing up for their right to defend their freedoms, and our home. I know the disruptions can be annoying for some people, but your right to complain about them is a right as part of a democratic system – something that is slowly being eroded away from us.

If you speak to the people at the protests, they are always friendly and helpful. They are happy to explain what is going on, and why they are protesting. They have been helping people find their way around the airport while they occupy it. They have been helping people find alternative forms of transport when the MTR trains have been delayed due to civil disobedience. They are (mostly) not being violent or rude.

Sadly, things seem to only be escalating, and I can only hope that everyone stays as safe as they can, while continuing to stand up for what they believe in.

Anyway, that’s not your usual food blog talk, so we’ll get on to the recipe now, shall we?

Ingredients

160 grams Digestive biscuits, crushed into crumbs
50 grams butter, melted
250 grams mixed berries, plus 50 grams for decoration
140 grams caster sugar
225 grams cream cheese
375 grams plain yoghurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
125 ml whipping cream, plus 50 – 75 ml for decoration

1. Combine the crushed biscuits and the melted butter, and press into the base of a pie dish. Place into the fridge while you prepare the filling.
2. In a food processor, add the berries, caster sugar, and 100 grams of the yoghurt. Blend until smooth.
3. In a large bowl, beat the cream cheese, remaining yoghurt and vanilla using a whisk until smooth.
4. Add the berry mixture to the cream cheese mixture and beat to combine.
5. In a small bowl, add 125 ml of the whipping and beat (with a clean whisk) until stiff peaks form. Fold the whipped cream into the berry mixture, carefully.
6. Remove the biscuit base from the fridge, and pour the batter into the pie dish.
7. Place the pie into the freezer for at least 2 hours, or until fully set. Remove from the freezer 30 minutes before serving, to allow for easier cutting.
8. Decorate with additional whipped cream and berries, and enjoy. Place any unfinished pie back into the freezer. It will keep for up to a week, if you don’t allow it to fully thaw