So, this is a bit of an unusual post – after all, this is no foodie blog. Nor is it even a ‘lifestyle’ blog. However, as I have developed in my thinking about what is important to me and how I communicate it, I’ve felt the need to try to be more of a real person on here. Ideas and principles and shooting-for-the-stars is great, and of course I’ll keep writing about them. But I think what is interesting is the life in between those things: why they’re there, how we seek them out, what happens when that is hard. A lot of that is in being human. I’m quite black and white (sometimes to a fault), I dream big dreams, I have high expectations…and I also like down-time, enjoying little things and working stuff out in every day life…like how to make good banana bread.

On to that then. Banana bread is one of my favourite things to make – the ingredients are fun to work with, the method is foolproof and so easy, and the result is delicious…and so versatile: I LOVE banana bread for breakfast, but it also makes a great snack and I made it today for a drinks’n’desserts party I’m going to.

I love it for summer – quirky salads, BBQs, smoothies, ice-cold DC and banana bread would suit me for the whole season!

Here’s the recipe. It allows room for a little creativity so knock yourself out (it would also be a great one for kids to get involved with as it essentially just needs lots of throwing and mixing!)

Combine 2 cups local self-raising flour, 3/4 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp salt.

In a larger bowl (I only had a wok handy…I NEED A MIXER!!!) blend 1/4 cup local unsalted butter and 1 cup Fairtrade granulated sugar. I like to use 1/2 caster and 1/2 demerara. 

Add one local egg, blend. Repeat.

To this, add 1 1/2 cups mashed Fairtrade banana, 1/2 cup local skimmed milk and 1tsp vanilla extract – I love the stuff with seeds.

Add the flour mixture from earlier.

Add to this whatever little quirk you want to give to your banana bread. Today I added 100g blueberries, 100g chocolate chips and hazelnuts & coconut. It’s entirely up to you!

Pour into two 9 inch-long cake tins (this recipe makes two loaves). Bake at 175 celcius for 50 minutes. Eat warm or cool – I prefer mine when it’s cold and one-day-old!

Enjoy.