Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan). Grease a 2lb loaf tin and line it with a strip of parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides — this makes lifting the baked loaf out effortless later. You should hear a faint hum from the oven as it reaches temperature.

Mash the bananas in a large mixing bowl. Use a fork to break them down until you have a lumpy, wet purée with no large chunks remaining. The bananas should smell intensely sweet and feel almost slippery against the fork tines.

Add the oil, sugar, eggs, vanilla, and yoghurt. Whisk everything together until the mixture is smooth and glossy, with a pale brown colour. You should see small bubbles forming on the surface as the ingredients emulsify.

Sift the flour, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, and salt into the wet mixture. Fold gently with a rubber spatula — stop as soon as you see no more streaks of white flour. The batter will look thick, dark, and slightly shiny, with a texture like a rich chocolate milkshake.

Fold in the chocolate chips. Reserve a small handful for the top. The batter should feel heavy and smell deeply of cocoa and banana. Do not overmix, or your bread will turn out tough rather than tender.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin. Spread it evenly with the spatula, then scatter the reserved chocolate chips on top. The surface should be level and slightly domed in the centre.

Bake for 45 to 55 minutes. After 40 minutes, check by inserting a skewer into the centre — it should emerge with a few moist crumbs clinging to it, not wet batter. The top should be cracked and firm to a light touch, and the kitchen will smell like a cosy bakery.

Cool in the tin for fifteen minutes. Lift the bread out using the parchment overhang and transfer to a wire rack. You will hear a slight crackling sound as the crust settles. Let it cool completely before slicing — this takes about an hour but is essential for clean slices.