Gooey, spongy and sticky, this date pudding ... Make sauce. Combine all ingredients in a saucepan over medium heat. Cook, stirring often, until sauce comes to the boil. Reduce heat to medium-low.

Sticky toffee pudding is such a classic pub pud – it’s a bit naughty, but very satisfying, and Tom's treacley toffee sauce guarantees ... Mix and then fold in the date and rum mixture.

A room beautifully lit with dimmed lights and candles, a carafe of port or a bottle of sticky ... the pudding straight from the basin on to the serving dish and add lashings of caramel sauce ...

Add the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla bean paste, molasses, applesauce, date ... toffee sauce for 10 minutes ...