Open for the best banana bread

depression, Niju Mayfair

godly polenta with mushrooms, parmesan and asparagus at Coal Office

Food news of the week:

Finally, a change of scenery in the review section, with the new Niju in Mayfair. Niju, or twenty, in Japanese, took over 20 Berkeley Street just 2 weeks ago, and I have mixed feelings. Today’s recipe is all about my favourite banana bread, and it’s the recipe I (and my mum, hi mum) make time and time again. Now, a standing ovation for the polenta at Coal Office (pictured above), boasting handsome creamy chunks of the sprightly grain.

cute things at Niju, review below

Science of the week:

This week’s science blogpost hits a personal spot for me, with my own history of low mood and knowing plenty of people who have suffered in silence with the same issue. In this overview of depression, understand what this is, how it’s caused, and what you can do to prevent and treat it. If you resonate more with anxiety, check out our overview on that here.

Insight of the week:

I know this is more a science one, but I had to fit it somewhere! Magtein, Magnesium-L-threonate, was shown in Chinese adults in a double-blinded, placebo-controlled clinical trial to effectively improve their cognitive function and memory. Some guys at MIT in 2010 discovered Magtein first and realised it was incredibly efficient at delivering magnesium to the brain, and now it looks like things are developing further. You can even buy it online here.

Recipe of the week:

A classic, a personal favourite, once again from the archives. This has, and always will be, my favourite banana bread.

Classic Banana Bread (makes one 9×5-inch loaf)

Ingredients

3 medium bananas, ripe and mashed (usually amounts to about one cup, and lumps of banana make for better texture)

90g (0.5 cup) light brown sugar

100g (0.5 cup) white caster sugar

2 eggs

45g (3 tbsp) melted salted butter

125g yoghurt

240g (1.5-2 cups) all-purpose flour

*note: I’ve made this using half whole-wheat flour and half all-purpose flour, and the end result was just as brilliant.

1 tsp each of baking powder and baking soda

Optional add-ins: 150g dark chocolate/nuts/a mix of both

Directions