Preheat your oven to 230C / Gas 8. Dust a baking tray with a little flour.

Sift your wholemeal flour and bicarbonate of soda together in a large bowl. Mix in about 250ml of the buttermilk and begin to form the dough. If it’s too dry add more buttermilk until the dough comes together. It should be soft and light in texture and not sticky.

Turn your dough out onto a floured work surface. With clean hands form the dough into a ball and flatten it slightly.

Move dough to your floured baking sheet. Cut a deep cross in the top of your dough and stab each quarter to allow steam to escape.

Bake the bread in your preheated oven for 15 minutes. Turn down the oven to 200C and bake for a further 15-20 minutes. Finally turn the bread over and bake upside down for another 15 minutes. It should sound hollow when you tap the bottom and then you know it is done. It is best eaten on the day it’s made but if that doesn’t happen it’s great for toast.