Preheat and prepare: Preheat your oven to 180°C (160°C fan) or Gas Mark 4. Line a 12-hole muffin tin with paper cases. This guarantees even baking from the very start.

Whisk the dry ingredients: In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the plain flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. The mixture will feel light and powdery, and you will smell the warm spices as you stir.

Mix the wet ingredients: In a separate bowl, beat the eggs lightly with a fork until they are uniformly yellow and slightly frothy. Add the caster sugar, brown sugar, vegetable oil, and vanilla extract. Whisk vigorously until the mixture looks smooth, glossy, and has thickened just a little, about 30 seconds.

Combine wet and dry: Pour the wet mixture into the bowl of dry ingredients. Fold together gently with a rubber spatula. Stop when you see just a few streaks of flour remaining — the batter should look lumpy and slightly thick, not smooth. Over-mixing here will make the muffins tough.

Fold in zucchini and nuts: Add the grated courgette and the toasted chopped nuts. Fold them in with three or four gentle strokes. The batter will suddenly look much wetter and speckled with green and brown. It should be thick but not stiff, and you will hear the nuts scraping against the bowl.

Fill the muffin cases: Divide the batter evenly among the 12 paper cases, filling each about three-quarters full. The tops will look mounded and slightly uneven. For an extra touch, sprinkle a few extra chopped nuts on top of each muffin.

Bake until golden: Place the tin in the centre of the oven and bake for 22–25 minutes. At the 20-minute mark, check them: the tops should be domed, a deep golden brown, and the edges will have pulled away slightly from the paper cases. A skewer inserted into the centre should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs clinging to it.

Cool completely: Transfer the tin to a wire rack and let the muffins cool in the tin for 5 minutes. Then lift them out onto the rack to cool fully. You will hear a faint crackle as they cool, and the kitchen will still smell warmly of cinnamon and toasted nuts.