Wyrd Spirits Rhubarb Cheesecake Masterclass: A New Forest Gin Experience Day with a Difference

If you've read my last post about Wyrd Spirits, you'll know I already had a soft spot for this small-batch New Forest distillery. So when I heard they'd started running evening masterclasses, pairing their gin-infused ingredients with hands-on recipes, I booked myself onto the very first one I could.

This particular session was a rhubarb cheesecake masterclass, hosted by the brilliant Food With Lottie, and it's quickly become one of my favourite things to do in the New Forest. If you're after something a bit different from the usual New Forest day out, this is firmly in unusual-things-to-do territory, and I'd happily go back for more.

What Is the Wyrd Spirits Gin Masterclass?

Wyrd Spirits has started running monthly evening sessions on Thursdays, with one already held this month and another coming up next month. Each one takes a gin-infused ingredient and builds an entire recipe around it, guided by a different food expert. For my session, that was Lottie from Food With Lottie, and the star ingredient was rhubarb gin. Next month's session moves on to a summer fruits pudding.

The whole experience runs for around 1.5 hours, and there were about nine of us in the group, a mix of couples, friends, and a few of us flying solo. It had a lovely relaxed, communal feel, more like cooking with friends than a formal class.

What's Included (and What to Bring)

Everything you need is provided, including all the ingredients and a printed copy of the recipe to take home. The only thing you're asked to bring along is an 8 inch springform cake tin, so do check this before you go.

As part of the experience, you also get:

• A welcome cocktail to start the evening

• A 250ml portion of Wyrd Spirits rhubarb gin to take home

• The cheesecake you make yourself, ready to finish at home

Making the Rhubarb Cheesecake

Once we'd settled in with our cocktails, Lottie talked us through the recipe and then split the group into two halves, working on the base and the filling at the same time before bringing everything together.

One half of the group started on the base, bashing up ginger nut biscuits before mixing them with butter and sugar and pressing the mixture into the tin. The other half worked on the filling, combining cream cheese, Greek yoghurt, honey and vanilla with a generous spoonful of Lottie's homemade rhubarb coulis.

Once both halves were ready, we swapped, mixed everything together, and spooned the filling on top of the biscuit base. The best bit came right at the end: using the extra rhubarb coulis to swirl decorative patterns across the top of the cheesecake, so every one of us walked away with a slightly different design.

From there, it was simply a case of taking the cheesecake home and leaving it in the fridge to set for around two hours. When mine was finally ready, it did not disappoint. Honestly, it's one of the best cheesecakes I've ever had, and I'm including ones I haven't made myself in that.

The Gorse Fruit Squash Surprise

One of the unexpected highlights of the evening was a taste of homemade gorse fruit squash. I'd never heard of it before, let alone tried it, and it turned out to be a genuinely lovely surprise: floral, slightly tangy, and a perfect little extra alongside the rhubarb gin. It's exactly the kind of small, local detail that makes a Wyrd Spirits experience feel different from a generic gin tasting.

Why This Is Worth Adding to Your New Forest Experience Days

What I really love about this format is that it takes everything that makes Wyrd Spirits special, the local ingredients, the small-batch ethos, the sense of place, and turns it into something you actively get to do, rather than just watch or taste. You leave with a skill, a recipe, a bottle of gin, and (in my case) a very good cheesecake.

If you're looking for new forest experience days that go beyond the usual walks and pub lunches, or you're planning a few days out in the New Forest and want one evening that feels a bit special, this is well worth building into your trip.

Booking the Wyrd Spirits Masterclass

These evening masterclass sessions run on Thursdays, with one held this month and another lined up for next month (a summer fruits pudding next time), so it's worth grabbing a spot while you can. Each session focuses on a different gin-infused ingredient and pairs with a different guest host, so it's worth checking the Wyrd Spirits website for the current schedule and to book your place.

Don't forget your 8 inch springform tin, and maybe pack an appetite. After a glass of gin, a cocktail, and a slice of the best cheesecake I've had in a long time, I left feeling very glad I'd made the trip out to the New Forest for the evening.