Preheat and Prepare: First, preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Grease a 900g (2lb) loaf tin and line it with baking parchment, leaving a little overhang on the long sides to act as handles for easy removal later.

Combine Dry Ingredients: In a medium bowl, whisk together the 280g of plain flour, bicarbonate of soda, and salt. Set this aside for a moment.

Cream Butter and Sugar: In a large bowl, using a stand mixer or an electric hand mixer, beat the softened butter and light brown sugar on medium speed for about 3-4 minutes until the mixture is light, pale, and fluffy. This step incorporates air, which is key to a good texture. For more on this technique, BBC Good Food has a great guide on the creaming method.

Add Eggs and Vanilla: Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. If the mixture looks like it might be curdling, just add a tablespoon of your flour mixture. Once the eggs are fully incorporated, mix in the vanilla extract.

Mash and Add Bananas: In a separate bowl, mash the ripe bananas thoroughly with a fork until they are mostly smooth but still have a few small lumps for texture. Gently fold the mashed banana into the butter and egg mixture.

Combine Wet and Dry: Add the dry flour mixture to the wet ingredients in two batches, folding gently with a spatula until just combined. It’s important not to overmix here; a few floury streaks are perfectly fine. Overmixing develops the gluten and can lead to a tough loaf.

Prepare and Add Strawberries: In a small bowl, toss the chopped strawberries with the remaining 1 tablespoon of flour. This light coating helps prevent them from sinking to the bottom of the tin. Gently fold the floured strawberries into the batter. I find that using a large metal spoon for this final fold is best to avoid crushing the fruit.

Bake the Loaf: Pour the batter into your prepared loaf tin and smooth the top with your spatula. Bake for 55-65 minutes. To check for doneness, insert a skewer or cocktail stick into the centre of the loaf. It should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs attached, but no wet batter.

Cool Completely: Let the strawberry banana bread cool in the tin for about 15 minutes before using the parchment paper handles to lift it out. Place it on a wire rack to cool completely before slicing. This is the hardest part—the smell will be irresistible!