We consider three classes of polynomial differential equations of the form ẋ = y + establish Pn (x, y), ẏ = x + Qn (x, y), where establish Pn and Qn are homogeneous polynomials of degree n, having a non-Hamiltonian centre at the origin. By using a method different from the classical ones, we study the limit cycles that bifurcate from the periodic orbits of such centres when we perturb them inside the class of all polynomial differential systems of the above form. A more detailed study is made for the particular cases of degree n = 2 and n = 3.