And just like that, our warm Spring weather disappeared overnight in Joburg! My kiddos will be back after a chilly day at school looking for something deliciously warm and comforting to eat, and this home-made corn bread is just the thing.

It’s so simple, you can have it done in under an hour. This bread is absolutely superb if you include bacon bits. If you’re going to make this variation, fry up the chopped bacon first and set aside to cool while you make the bread.

Sometimes I serve it with soup, but often it’s just served with a good smear of butter and all gobbled up before anything else can hit the table. If you’re lucky enough to have any left, a couple of slices are a great addition to a lunch box the next day.

This is one of many simple recipes you can find in my book, Pink Gin and Fairy Cakes, which you can order here.

Here’s what goes in

• 3 eggs, beaten
• 1 cup self-raising flour, sifted
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• Pinch of salt
• ½ an onion, very finely chopped
• ¾ cup grated cheddar cheese
• ¼ cup grated Parmesan or Grana Padano
• 1 can creamed sweetcorn (415g)
• ½ a packet of finely chopped bacon, fried (optional)

How to do it

Preheat your oven to 180°C and grease and line a loaf tin measuring approximately 22 x 11cm. Lightly beat the eggs with a hand whisk, then add the dry ingredients and combine. Add the cheese, chopped onion and sweetcorn (and bacon, if using, including its oozy bacon oil) and gently mix with a wooden spoon or spatula until combined. The consistency will be quite runny. Transfer the mixture to the loaf tin and bake at 180°C for 35-40 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out (mostly) clean. You don’t want uncooked dough sticking to the skewer, but bear in mind sweetcorn, just by its nature, makes this bread moist and your skewer may therefore not come out squeaky clean. Allow the bread to rest and cool before you slice it to serve.