2 cups pasta (it doesn’t need to be macaroni, any short pasta that will hold the sauce will do - I prefer San Remo vegeroni shapes for a bit of colour, or you can use penne)

2 cups tasty cheese, grated (I prefer Mainland tasty - don’t use colby, edam etc. as they split). Note it’s best to grate your own and not use pre-grated cheese as it contains additional cornflour.

2 cups milk (I use dark blue top, not green or light blue)

2 tablespoons butter

2 tablespoons plain flour

2 teaspoons mustard

1 onion, finely diced

At least 2 rashers of streaky bacon, chopped (I normally use 4)

Breadcrumbs and extra grated cheese for topping

Ground black pepper

Salt for pasta water

Cook pasta in salted water until just al dente (don’t overcook as it will finish cooking in the sauce)

Melt butter in a saucepan and add bacon, then diced onions

When bacon is cooked and onions are soft, add flour, stir until frothy, then stir in mustard

Reduce heat and slowly add milk, stirring constantly to combine and avoid lumps

Bring to a simmer, stirring constantly, then remove from heat, add grated cheese and stir to combine

Drain pasta and stir into the sauce

Add ground black pepper to taste - I like pepper so I use a lot (you shouldn’t need to add any more salt)

Pour into an oven-proof dish, top with breadcrumbs and more grated cheese (you can use Parmesan and add some thinly sliced tomatoes on top if you’re feeling fancy)

Bake at around 200°C for 20 minutes