Boil a large pot of water with ¼ tsp of salt for the pasta. Peel and very finely dice the garlic. Peel the onion, chop in half through the root and then slice into thin half moon shapes. Chop the olives up into tiny bits.

Add 1 tbsp of olive oil to a frying pan on medium heat. Once warm add the garlic and onion and cook gently for around 5 mins. You want to cook the onion until it is soft, but don’t let it colour too much. Tip: You can add 1 tbsp of water and turn the heat down if it’s cooking too quickly.

Add the tomatoes and olives to the pan. Stir in ¼ tsp of salt and ¼ tsp of sugar (if you have some). Allow to bubble gently on medium-low heat for around 10 mins.

Cook the pasta in the boiling water for around 10 mins or until ‘al dente’. Tip: ‘Al dente’ simply means that the pasta is cooked through but has a slight hint of firmness left in the middle. Test the pasta for ‘doneness’ as you go until it is just right.

When you drain the pasta save a few tbsp of the pasta water before you do so. Tip: Italians often use a bit of pasta water to loosen up the tomato sauce a little - stir a bit through the sauce if needs be.

Roughly chop half the bunch of basil leaves (keep a little back for garnish) and stir them through your pasta sauce, together with the drained pasta, then toss all the ingredients together.

Serve with a scattering of chopped basil leaves and tear over chunks of the mozzarella. Add a pinch of freshly ground pepper and get stuck in.