So it’s time for tennis fans to get ready and enjoy all the action of the 2016 Wimbledon Tournament which starts on 27 June.

Ever since the oldest grand slams was first played in the leafy suburban corner of south-west London in 1877, the strawberry has had its place as an indispensable accompaniment to the tennis.

This soft red fruit remains part of the furniture at the Wimbledon of the 21st century, so much so that 28,000kg of them and 7 000 litres of cream are eaten at the tournament each year.

So why strawberries?
There is no definitive answer, but the most likely explanation appears to be a simple combination of circumstances.

“It was probably two things — strawberries were in season at the time the tournament was played, and in Victorian England they had become a fashionable thing to eat,” explains Johnny Perkins, the All England Club’s head of PR.
“They were part of afternoon tea, which had become a fashionable ritual, and that took root at Wimbledon.”
So here’s a recipe for all South Africans who loves the combination of strawberries and cheesecake… and a good game of tennis!:

Base Ingredients:

• 250g Nuttikrust biscuits, crushed into fine crumbs
• 90g Stork Bake Margarine, melted

Filling Ingredients:

• 1/4 cup water
• 2 tbsp gelatin
• 500g cream cheese
• 1/3 cup lemon juice
• 1/2 cup castor sugar
• 1 1/4 cups cream, whipped
• 250g strawberries boiled in 1/4 cup water and 2 tbsp castor sugar then processed in a food processor till smooth (save a few whole berries for decoration)

Base Method:

1. Line a 22cm round springform cake tin with foil and spray with spray ‘n cook.
2. Mix biscuit crumbs with melted Stork Bake Margarine and press firmly into the base and up the sides of the cake tin.
3. Refrigerate for 20 minutes.

Filling Method:

1. Place water in a small heatproof bowl. Sprinkle gelatin over the water. Stand bowl in boiling water and stir until gelatin is dissolved. Cool slightly.
2. Using electric beaters, beat cream cheese until softened. Add lemon juice and sugar. Beat until smooth.
3. Gently fold in the whipped cream.
4. Fold half the gelatin mixture into the cheese mixture. Fold the remaining gelatin into the processed strawberry mixture.
5. Swirl both mixtures into the prepared pan.
6. Refrigerate for at least 4 hours to set.
7. Remove the pan and decorate with whipped cream and strawberries.

Taken from: Stork