Sticky Date Pudding

1 1/2 cups dates, pitted and chopped
1 tsp baking soda
150ml boiling water
125 gm butter
2 eggs
1 heaped cup sr flour
3/4 cup sugar

Sprinkle soda onto dates, pour over boiling water. Stir and leave 10-15 minutes. Beat together butter and sugar, add eggs, flour and date mixture. Cook in a greased dish 30-35 minutes. Allow to stand while preparing sauce.

Sauce:
3 cups loosely packed brown sugar
75gm butter
300ml cream
1 tsp vanilla essence

Put all ingredients into saucepan, stir over medium heat until sugar dissolved. Bring to boil and simmer for 5 minutes.

If you are serving the dish whole onto the table, pour all of the sauce over the pudding and return to oven for 5-10 minutes until the sauce is mostly absorbed. If serving individual bowls just spoon a few tbsp over each and warm in the oven. Yummy if served with milk - its so sweet and heavy that cream or ice cream can sometimes be a bit much!!