By Keighley’s Mike Armstrong, an award-winning master baker with a big passion for baking...

I DO hope everyone has had a good summer holiday and the weather's been kind.

All this got me thinking of the school holidays coming towards an end and the August bank holiday looming.

I remember those last weeks of the school summer holiday – being dragged off our bikes and into town for school uniform for the new term.

I plagued mum to go for long trousers for me one year instead of shorts, which I was willing to wear in PE.

She reassured me I would be fine with long grey socks and a v-neck jumper for another year. And she'd say "now we must find you a new blazer from the market", and it was always oversized so I could grow into it.

I do remember feeling very smart, but I did have trouble doing my tie after PE and had to ask a teacher for help.

I loved going down Lawkholme Lane to Peter Black's factory shop for shoes, trainers and a new school bag, which were upstairs in the seconds department. The sports bag only seemed to last a few months – the zipper or strap always went – but we did have lots of books to ram in.

Mum always name-tagged all our school uniform. God help us if we lost something. I lost my coat one year, someone had taken it by mistake from my peg, and I remember having to go round every classroom for weeks asking if anyone had found it. Mum contacted the headmaster and he had me searching every coat in school to see if mine had turned up, which it did as I put my arm down a damp sleeve to find my name-tag!

It was always a worrying time going to a new school, making new friends; bullying was awful, and there were fights in the local parks.

Our new lesson timetables were always complicated and I ended up in the wrong classrooms, but I still remember Drake, our year name.

Our biology teacher once decided it was a good idea to cut up a dead rabbit, and my mate Peter passed out!

I think what I'm trying to say is we've come a long way since the 70s. I do wish I still had my Adidas bag, though, it would be worth a fortune on eBay today!

RECIPE

BANANA SPLIT

Serves 4

Ingredients:

4 ripe bananas

4 good scoops vanilla ice cream

4 tablespoons chocolate sauce

2 tablespoons flaked almonds, toasted

Method:

1. Peel and split the bananas in half lengthways and place onto plates.

2. Fill each banana with scoops of ice cream, drizzle with chocolate sauce and scatter with toasted flaked almonds or chopped nuts.

Additional toppings and fillings: For a more indulgent banana split, add some squirty fresh cream from the can or different flavours of ice cream and sauces. Add some colourful sprinkles, chocolate chips or seasonal fresh fruits. Let your imagination run wild as you whip up the most epic banana split ever.