Sticky date pudding

It's one of the best puddings I've ever made.  The taste is just wonderful!

I got the recipe (as always), from BBC Goodfood -

Sticky toffee pudding recipe - Recipes - BBC Good Food

I've made some changes / additions -

 I used redbush tea instead of black tea, and it tasted great. First, I added the tea bag to the boiling water in a Pyrex jug, making sure it was as strong as possible (because Redbush is a bit more subtle than normal black tea).

Next, I poured the tea infusion into a saucepan with the dates, and then let it simmer gently for 2 - 3 minutes. 

 I used around 280 - 300ml of water because after the water's turned into steam, you'll be left with 250ml.

 I wouldn't recommended adding your teabag in with the dates and then bringing it to the boil, because the bag could tear against the dates leaving you with a mess!

Instead of using mixed spice, I used 1 teaspoon of cinnamon.

If you have plain flour (like me), add 1 teaspoon of baking powder, and 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda.  

I reduced the temperature to gas mark 3 1/2, and baked it for around 50mins.

You can make an interesting sauce by mixing a little golden syrup into creme fraiche. This gave a slightly tart, but sweet lemony flavor to the richness of the dates. I may add a little vanilla pod next time.