My guest has left FOUR bananas, now black and past their best, in the fruit bowl. ‘Oh you must make some banana bread,’ my yoga teacher advises. So here goes – never having made it before, I decided to see what I liked from various recipes, all dependent on what I could find in my pantry! The rum I discovered in a plastic water bottled smuggled out of Barbados at the back of the drinks cabinet – completely forgotten until I rooted around! And of course, despite the sugar and flour, bananas are great for cramps and potassium. As I’m having various guests over the next few days this will come in dead handy served with organic ice cream.

• 140g butter
• 140g caster sugar
• 2 large eggs, beaten
• 140g self-raising flour
• 1-2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 3-4 very ripe bananas, mashed
• a good handful of walnuts
• 1-2tbsp rum

Method

Heat the oven to 180C. Line a bread tin with parchment.

Mash the bananas in a food processor or with a fork. Then cream the sugar and butter in a processor; when creamy add the eggs, vanilla, cinnamon, walnuts and a tbs or so of the flour. Mix until all creamy and smooth.

Sift the rest of the flour and baking powder in a bowl, add the contents of the food processor and fold together, adding the rum at the end.

Bake for 40-50 mins or until a skewer comes out clean.

I mixed a few tbsp of icing sugar with zest and juice on 1/2 lemon and some hot water to give it a drizzle. You can see it glistening in the picture.