Heat the butter in a small pan and add the raisins. Over low to medium heat, pan fry the raisins till they plump up. Remove them to a plate and add the cashewnuts. Pan fry them till they turn a light golden and add them to the raisins with any butter that is in the pan. Keep aside.

In the remaining butter, lightly toast the bread pieces till they're light golden and crisp up a bit. This adds flavour to the pudding and also prevents the pudding from becoming very mushy.

Whisk together the egg, vanilla, salt, the sugar and the milk, in a big bowl, until combined. Add the bread cubes, bananas, raisins and cashewnuts and toss them gently so they're well coated with the liquid. Do not let the bread break up or you will have a mushy pudding.

Transfer the mixture to a 11" by 7" buttered baking dish and set aside for about 10 minutes so the bread absorbs the liquid. Gently stir the mixture once after about 5 minutes.

Bake at for 170C (325F) for 30 to 45 minutes until the bread pudding is golden brown on top and a skewer pushed into the centre comes out clean. Take the bread pudding out and let it cool for about minutes before serving. Serve it warm as it is or with cream, vanilla custard or ice cream