Darjeeling Sticky Toffee Pudding

Preheat the oven to 350°F (325°F fan). Butter a 9×9‑inch square tin, sprinkle with demerara sugar, shake to coat and tap out the excess.

Steep two Darjeeling tea bags in 300 ml boiling water for 4 minutes, squeeze and discard the bags. Simmer the chopped dates in the tea for 5 minutes until very soft, then remove from heat and stir in the bicarbonate of soda; blend to a smooth puree and let cool slightly.

Beat 85 g soft unsalted butter with the dark muscovado sugar for 3 minutes until fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, then the golden syrup, black treacle and vanilla extract, mixing well after each addition.

Fold in the self‑raising flour, followed by the milk and the date puree; the batter will be runny, which is correct.

Bake the sponge for 25–30 minutes, or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

For the sauce, warm the double cream until steaming and steep the remaining Darjeeling tea bag for 5 minutes, then squeeze and discard. Melt the 115 g butter with the light muscovado sugar, add the golden syrup and black treacle and bubble for 2–3 minutes until glossy. Incorporate the cream in two batches and simmer gently for 5 minutes until slightly thickened, then stir in the sea salt.

Poke holes all over the hot sponge, pour over one‑third of the sauce, let stand for 5 minutes, then bake for an additional 5 minutes until the edges are bubbling.

Rest the pudding for 10 minutes, slice and serve with the remaining sauce and vanilla ice cream.