My Mum rarely made macaroni cheese when I was younger, I guess because it was so similar to salmon mornay and she felt I should get all the iron I could possibly consume after returning from school one day when I was 13, claiming I was a vegetarian. When I was about 14 or 15, and Mum had presumably had an early shift that day (she’s a nurse) I attempted to make macaroni cheese to take to school for lunch.

Sitting under our usual tree on the front lawn of the school, I pulled out my tupperware container and started eating my improvised mac ‘n cheese. My friends were curious why I was eating pasta with grated cheese on top – I explained it was macaroni cheese, that I’d made myself. They all hooted with laughter and said it may have the two title foods – macaroni pasta and cheese – but that it was nowhere like what their Mums made them.

Here’s my homage to that summery Australian lunchtime.

Recipe – inspired by Laura Silver’s.

- enough pasta for however many you’re serving to (my local Sains had sold out of macaroni, so I used fusilli instead. I’m no shape racist)
- handful of button mushrooms
- handful of chopped broccoli and cauliflower
- tablespoon or two of plain flour
- scoop of butter
- two cups of milk
- whatever strong cheese you’ve got. I used stilton and boursin in mine
- breadcrumbs
- milk powder (not essential, but I always use it with breadcrumbs for an extra-crusty top)

Cook the pasta in a saucepan. Make a bechamel sauce my frying the butter in a saucepan, then sprinkling in the flour. Mix quickly, then pour in the milk slowly while still pouring. Crumble in the varying cheeses – I used about 300g in total. Boil the mushrooms, broccoli and cauliflower – or whatever veggies you’re using, if any.

Drain the pasta and veggies when cooked, then put in the oven-proof dish. Pour the bechamel sauce over, and mix well. Grate breadcrumbs and sprinkle milk powder lightly. Cook for 20mins or so, until brown on top.