Preheat oven to 350~ F. You will need eight 6 oz metal pudding basins or eight 3 inch ramekin dishes, lightly oiled with vegetable oil. A swiss roll tin and a baking sheet.

Begin by putting the chopped dates in a bowl and pouring boiling water over them. Then add vanilla, coffee essence and baking soda. Put to one side. Next in a large mixing bowl cream butter and sugar together, beating (preferrably with an electric hand whisk) until mixture is pale, light and fluffy. Now gradually add beaten eggs a little at a time, beating well after each addition. After that, carefully and lightly fold in the sifted flour using a metal spoon, then fold in date mixture including liquid. The mixture will look sloppy, but don't worry. That is perfectly correct and the slackness of the mixture is what makes the pudding so light. Now divide the mixture equally between the eight containers. Place them on a baking tray and bake in the centre of the oven for 25 minutes.

Using a palette knife, slide it around each pudding and turn it out. If they have risen too high, you may have to cut a slice of the top so that they can sit evenly on the plate. Now place the puddings on a shallow, swiss roll type pan.

Next, make the sauce by combining all the ingredients in a saucepan and heating very gently until sugar has melted and all the crystals dissolved.

To serve puddings: Pre-heat broiler to its highest setting, and pour the sauce evenly over the puddings. Place the pan under the broiler so the tops are about 5 inches from the heat. Knock off any nuts on top to prevent them browning. Let the puddings heat through for 8 minutes. The tops will become brown and slightly crunchy and the sauce will be hot and bubbling. Serve with chilled pouring cream.