Soak the cashews for the bechamel in boiling water and set aside.

Preheat the oven up to 220° C / 430° (or 200° C / 390° F with a fan on) and line a couple of metal baking trays with baking paper. Alternatively, you could grill or fry your aubergine slices, but they take a lot of oil and it's more labour intensive.

Slice aubergine into 0.75 cm / 0.3" rounds.

Place the aubergine slices on the baking trays (no need to grease them) and into the hot oven for about 25-30 minutes, flipping them gently once halfway through the baking time. Bake until the flesh is lightly browned and the skins cut easily.

Dice olives finely, place them in a bowl together with breadcrumbs, a good pinch of salt (unless your breadcrumb mix contains it) and 1-2 tbsp of olive oil - mix well. Set aside

Heat up 2 tbsp of olive oil in a large frying pan.

Add the onion and fry until translucent, stirring from time to time.

Add in the garlic and fry for another minute or two, until softened and fragrant.

Add in squashed (I like to use a potato masher) canned tomatoes, spices, herbs and a generous amount of salt and pepper.

Simmer, stirring every 10 minutes or so, until the tomatoes break down completely and the sauce thickens - about 40 minutes. If the pan is looking dry but tomatoes haven't fully broken down, stir in a splash of water (I used a can's worth of water in total).

Adjust the seasoning to your liking. I like to add some sweetness (date syrup or sugar) as canned tomatoes tend to be acidic. Set aside.

After the cashews have been soaking for at least 30 minutes, drain them and place in a small blender with 240 ml / 1 cup of water (or plant milk). Add garlic, nutritional yeast, cornstarch, lemon juice (if using), salt and pepper.

Blend until super creamy and smooth. Adjust seasoning to taste and set aside.

Preheat the oven to 200° C / 390° F (or 180° C / 355° F with a fan on) and grab a baking dish. I used is a 26 cm / 10 inch round casserole dish, but a regular lasagna dish works too.

Spoon a layer of tomato sauce at the bottom of the dish.

Follow with a layer aubergine slices, season with a bit of salt. Pour about a half of the cashew bechamel on top, then another layer of aubergine slices, followed by another layer of tomato sauce. Carry on until you've used aubergine and tomato sauce up (you may have some tomato sauce left) - reserve the rest of the bechamel for the topping.

Top with bechamel sauce and scatter olive crumb on top.

Bake for about 25-30 minutes, until the bake is bubbly, the top look just about set and the crumbs turn golden.

Allow the bake to set for at least half an hour. Store the leftovers in the fridge for up to 5 days or portion and freeze. Enjoy warm or at room temperature. I like to have this with a big green salad and pan fried potatoes or grilled sourdough bread for a more filling meal.